I Raised the Villain's Daughter Too Well-Chapter 40: Didn’t Know! -

“A stray dog is wandering about.”

Olvesia effortlessly deflected my sword with the barest of movements.

I couldn’t resist.

Her control over strength was dozens of times more refined than mine.

“...”

I clenched my teeth.

It wasn’t arrogance—Firnea had access to every sword art, both restricted and unrestricted, and I’d made a point to familiarize myself with each of them at least once.

It was just one parry, but—the sword of Senfenesia didn’t belong to any of them.

Theoretically, that was impossible.

It meant the sword had grown in splendid isolation, uninfluenced by any known technique.

Why would such a grand family be attacking Arin?

“Arin.”

“...Yeah.”

Arin staggered to her feet.

Her body was in no condition to fight.

This girl—she should be far stronger than me.

And yet, in the short time I’d been speaking with Emily, she’d been wrecked.

“Withdraw. Go to Emily. Tell her we’re running.”

“I can fight—”

“Now.”

“...”

Startled by the harshness in my tone, Arin flinched, then quietly stepped back.

“Don’t die.”

“...Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t die here.”

She still didn’t seem to fully understand how the mana space worked.

Meaning, she’d been fighting like she truly thought she could die.

Hmh. A slight flush rose to my face.

There was no need for her to go that far.

“Kain, Lapenia. Block her.”

“...Yes!”

The male cadet with the greatsword and the female cadet with the dagger moved to cut Arin off.

...This isn’t good.

Trying to get Arin out of here while still keeping an eye on Olvesia wasn’t going to be easy.

Should I use Geminos? I hesitated—but then I saw something.

The expressions on the two cadets’ faces didn’t look right.

“Please—halt for a moment.”

“What?”

“I am Virdem of Serbus, butler of Seriratus.”

“...”

The cadets froze in place.

The name Seriratus carried enough weight to make anyone reconsider their actions.

“What kind of bullshit—”

“Ah—! Right, you were the one standing next to Lady Firnea at the entrance ceremony...”

“...Yeah.”

Fortunately, one of them had seen me before.

Hard not to, really.

“May I ask for what reason you’re attempting to persecute a member of our team? If there’s a justifiable cause, I’ll accept it. However...”

“...”

“If there’s no reason at all—then would it be fair to interpret this as a hostile act against Seriratus?”

At my cold, sharpened warning, Kain swallowed hard.

“Y-You’re just a butler, and you dare invoke the name of Seriratus—”

“I have permission. I’m trusted enough to do so.”

It was a bluff they couldn’t help but fall for.

I really was Firnea’s closest aide. And if I were harmed, Firnea would absolutely lose her mind.

...No, looking at it this way, it’s not even a bluff. It’s just the truth.

While the cadets hesitated—

“Hup.”

Arin rolled away and made her escape.

“Uh...”

But the two cadets didn’t go after her.

They made a token gesture of reaching out, but anyone could tell their feet didn’t even twitch.

As Olvesia watched Arin’s quickly retreating back, she muttered quietly:

“Why did you let her go?”

“N-No, we didn’t let her—”

Kain looked between me and Olvesia, struggling to find his words—

“...Aren’t you being kind of unfair?”

Suddenly, Lapenia jumped into the fray.

Olvesia looked at her, as if to say: Go on.

Under the weight of that indifferent gaze, Lapenia faltered for a moment—but then grit her teeth and launched into protest.

“I—we just want to do our best, too, but you’re walking around attacking other cadets without explaining anything or even giving us a reason. That’s just... isn’t that too much?”

“L-Lapenia!”

Kain panicked and tried to stop her, but Lapenia shook off his hand with fierce resolve.

“Let go, I have to say it. If this is about stealing someone else’s merit, then fine, we can give it to you. But this isn’t about that, right? The credit for destroying the outpost’s already gone to that team, and we should be out there hunting for another one. Instead, we’re wasting time in a meaningless fight. We’re already behind—we can’t even close the gap anymore. What the hell are we doing?”

“I dunno...”

“So that’s what you were thinking.”

And unexpectedly—

Olvesia didn’t seem particularly angry. She simply nodded slowly, as if accepting what she’d heard.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

“Uh... what?”

“But I have a plan of my own. If your goal is to attend the lecture, you’ll be able to. I swear it on the name of Senfenesia.”

“Ah—no, that’s...”

Confronted with such a mature response, Lapenia—who had braced herself to get chewed out—turned red in the face.

“N-No, I wasn’t asking for an apology—”

“So will you trust me and be patient for a little while longer?”

“Huh? Yes. Of course.”

“Thank you.”

There was something different in that final word.

“Huh?”

Olvesia’s form vanished.

“...!”

I’d seen it before.

At the young miss’s birthday, the older sister of the Hero showed something similar in texture.

I immediately lowered my stance and covered the back of my neck.

But I wasn’t the target.

—Thwuck.

“...Huh?”

Lapenia let out a dazed sound as she looked at the sword that had pierced through her back and out her belly.

And then she slowly crumbled to dust.

“W-Wait? Lady Olvesia?”

—Shhk!

The sword swept cleanly sideways, slicing through Kain’s neck before he could even process what was happening.

This is the mana space.

Of course, they didn’t actually die.

And once the pain passes a certain threshold, it gets shut off.

So... it probably wasn’t painful.

But.

Watching Kain’s head roll for a brief moment before turning to dust made cold sweat break down my back.

What I’d said earlier had just been cursing.

Now, I could state it as nothing more than plain fact.

“...Are you fucking insane?”

“Such vulgar speech.”

Olvesia, having casually sheathed her sword, turned her eyes toward me.

That bitch.

She could have chased Arin down and killed her easily.

She let her go.

...Why?

“I’m curious about that strange cadet too, of course—”

Olvesia looked at me °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and murmured in passing.

“But what I’m most curious about... is why Firnea keeps a dog like you.”

All just to have this one-on-one.

****

“...She was your teammate.”

“A hunting dog that doesn’t obey orders is unnecessary.”

“You’ve been saying dog, dog, dog this whole time... Are you familiar with the proverb, ‘You see in others what you are yourself’?”

“Fufu. So you’re the jester she brought around.”

Even provocation didn’t work.

Olvesia took one step, and the ten-step distance between us disappeared.

I was already within range of her sword.

I swallowed dryly and opened my mouth.

“...There’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“What is your goal? The outpost has already been destroyed. Your teammates are dead—more accurately, you killed them yourself. Why are you doing this?”

“It’s simple. If I eliminate every team but mine, I have no choice but to pass. And if I survive and pass, those disqualified teammates will pass as well. In the end, everyone benefits.”

Let me say it again... she’s absolutely, clinically insane.

Olvesia, as if stating something perfectly logical, returned the question.

“I have a question as well.”

“What is it?”

“How did your master come by that power?”

“...Excuse me?”

What the hell is she talking about?

None of the cadets should’ve witnessed Firnea’s true strength yet.

“If you’re talking about her swordsmanship—”

“No.”

Olvesia slowly shook her head.

“That’s not what I meant. When we met at the entrance ceremony—she could’ve killed me with an invisible force. Isn’t that right?”

“...”

I did everything I could not to show my surprise.

Firnea wasn’t an idiot. Of course she’d hidden her telekinesis.

And yet this woman had sensed it through sheer instinct.

“I don’t know what it was. But at that moment, I clearly felt the threat of death. Knowing that my life was in someone else’s hands... it didn’t feel good.”

Olvesia let out a small chuckle, then asked again.

“What was it?”

“...I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re referring to.”

“Is that so.”

Olvesia clicked her tongue, disappointed.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to go ask her myself.”

“!”

I raised my sword reflexively.

—KANG!!

Without the slightest warning, a sword strike came crashing down from above, one that could’ve easily chopped a person to pieces.

An overwhelming force. The pressure crushed down on me so hard I couldn’t even imagine this being a woman—it obliterated any notion of gender-based difference.

“Guh...!”

I blocked it with both hands gripping one sword.

And it still wasn’t enough.

Olvesia, in contrast, looked completely relaxed. Like she could kill me at any moment and was only half-heartedly holding back.

Why?

She explained with eerie calm.

“Firnea seems to care for you quite a bit.”

“...I am honored beyond words!”

“If I beat you within an inch of your life and toss you at her feet, then in this undying mana space... I’ll get to see who she really is.”

Just hearing it was horrifying.

Gasping for breath, I did my best to protest.

“Why would you go so far? You’ll gain nothing by going up against Seriratus.”

“Nothing? But I’d be going up against someone from Seriratus who could kill me. Isn’t that gain enough?”

“...”

I was starting to understand how Olvesia operated.

I’d heard rumors about Senfenesia being a lunatic house...

But never imagined the heiress of such a prestigious family would be this deranged.

The fact that her interest was turning toward Firnea—was terrifying.

Even if Firnea was powerful, she was already in enough danger on her own. She couldn’t afford to deal with a crazy bitch on top of everything else.

But I couldn’t kill her, either.

She was from Senfenesia. That family was too powerful to ignore.

“I hope Firnea really does care for you. The more she does, the more I’ll get to see her true face.”

For Firnea’s sake, I had to redirect this lunatic’s interest.

Toward someone else.

...The answer was obvious.

There was no other way. I let out a breath and whispered quietly.

“...Geminos.”

“Hm? What did you say?”

Instead of answering, I raised my sword and aimed for Olvesia’s cheek.

“Lady Olvesia. Thank you for answering my question. So, allow me to share a truth in return.”

“...And what would that be?”

“In truth, Lady Firnea does not possess particularly extraordinary talent.”

“Heh.”

Olvesia scoffed.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m only stating facts.”

“Very well. Then who was it at the entrance ceremony holding my life in their invisible grip? Who was it that met my eyes and could’ve killed me without lifting a finger—”

“That was me.”

“What?”

Seeing is believing.

Olvesia blinked for a moment—

“!”

—and abruptly ducked.

...Whoa. She actually reacted to that?

Geminos, who’d crept up silently and swung her hand, smiled as if amused.

“What a fascinating noble lady. She didn’t sense me—but she did sense the attack.”

“...”

There was no way Olvesia could hear Geminos.

Yet her eyes were different now as she looked at me.

No shock, no rage, no disbelief.

She simply rubbed her cheek, confirmed the blood on her fingers—

“...Hmm.”

—and smiled... oddly.

“Do you believe me now?”

“I’m still not sure. I didn’t feel the same murderous pressure I felt at the entrance hall... So let’s verify the truth right now. But first—”

“What?”

“You.”

Olvesia asked a question so bizarre, it stunned me.

“Are you actually a man?”

“...?”

I didn’t understand the question.

So I just answered it plainly.

“Isn’t it obvious by looking?”

“Is it now...”

Olvesia smiled.

“I haven’t confirmed it myself... but for now, I don’t mind.”

...That smile looked deeply unsettling.