Chapter 7

3. A Refined Flower Amidst Mediocre Penmanship

"Ah... it's Russell... Russell Ashgreen."

Though we were clearly around the same age, and she was actually much younger, I instinctively used formal language.

What should I say, I was swept up by the atmosphere?

'Étrangère du Vio.'

Honestly, I didn't expect to meet her like this.

She is the adopted daughter of the former Grand General, a senior of the first generation of the fanfiction protagonist's era, and one of the leading heroines in the protagonist's harem, a crucial piece in the puzzle to prevent the continent's destruction.

At the same time, she is a true heroine by my standards.

She was a character I introduced as the protagonist's main wife from the very beginning.

Of course, the ending was a total annihilation.

A grand beginning, but a devastating end.

"I have been tasked with escorting you to the training camp on behalf of the Grand General. If you enter the military academy, I will be your senior, but since I heard you are a year older than me, you don't have to treat me as a senior until then."

"No, Senior. Let's speak casually."

"I find this more comfortable. Please speak casually."

A firm refusal came back.

I nodded.

"Alright then. Nice to meet you, Senior."

This character is originally like this.

A genuine noble lady, rare in the world, who doesn't discriminate based on bloodline.

The only daughter of Aslan, the former Grand General and Sword Saint, who receives all his love.

But she feels the burden of being an adopted daughter in a noble family, driving herself into endless perfectionism, and working fervently to avoid even the smallest flaw.

"I also look forward to working with you. I want to complete this first mission given by the Grand General smoothly."

Her smile, faint but warm, had a power to make people feel good.

'Somehow, I feel like I should apologize.'

Étrangère has the most refined setting in the story. But she is also the character who received the most criticism from readers.

A sweet potato character.

A flat character.

A contrived character.

I created those evaluations. Her inability to flourish was due to my mediocre writing skills.

After a moment of meeting her eyes, hiding my deep feelings, the moment I wondered about her current state, my eyes stung, and my power activated.

Étrangère's status window appeared before my eyes.

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Occupation: Warrior

Combat Ability: 295

① Adopted Daughter of a Swordsmanship Family

② 20th Generation Grimore Combat Deputy

Unwavering Integrity (A) (Exclusive): ★★☆☆☆

Intermediate Royal Palace Secret Sword Technique (B): ★★☆☆

Soul Training Method (C): ★☆☆

'She's already upgraded her exclusive ability and the Royal Palace Secret Sword Technique to two stars.'

Though she is only in her first year at the military academy, her growth is indeed remarkable.

Indeed, she is the only one among the 20th generation who participated in the final war, a true talent.

Though not visible with the 'Eye of Insight,' her setting is that of a character with a growth limit of over 90 in all stats except talent, making her a godlike character.

The title of the next generation Sword Saint, following in her father's footsteps, is not undeserved. A talented hard worker, you might say.

I turned my gaze away from Étrangère, who was staring at me blankly.

She is undoubtedly a talent who should be included in the team, but the one who should guide her is not me, but the protagonist of this work.

I have no intention of setting up strange flags and ending up in a harem story.

The goal is only to clear the game and survive.

Being marked as a 'decent person' is appropriate.

"Is that all your luggage?"

"As you can see."

She examined my luggage. On my right waist, a dagger and a throwing knife.

On my left, a supply sword and clothes given as an apology by the captain of the guard for mistaking me as a minion of the divine, and 700,000 gold I extorted from Biltred.

That was all.

"Is there a problem?"

"No problem. For someone joining the academy, your luggage is quite minimal, though. Are you a runaway teenager?"

"Didn't the Grand General tell you my story?"

"I'm just carrying out the request I received. I didn't ask unnecessary questions."

"Typical of you."

"......Do you hate me?"

"No. And what's a runaway teenager? I don't have a home, a temple, or parents."

Her expression immediately stiffened at the blunt facts.

She must have realized she was being rude.

"I'm sorry."

Her reaction was amusing, so I didn't bother to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Can you ride a horse?"

"A couple of times. I've only ridden short distances. It's, uncomfortable, Senior. Can't you speak more casually?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm not fine."

"I'm fine."

"......"

Fine, do as you please.

I shrugged.

It's not like I could easily use casual language with a girl who is, by age, ten years younger.

It's physiologically impossible.

She will probably speak more casually once I join the academy as her junior.

"We will depart immediately. Be careful not to move around recklessly in the castle, or you might be mistaken for a minion."

Étrangère walked ahead.

The walls of the exotic fantasy world stretched out on both sides as she walked with proper posture.

We soon arrived at the west gate of Tyrell Castle, where two trained horses were waiting for us.

"We will head straight to Grimore's military training city, crossing the Beast Forest. Normally, we would take a detour, but the Grand General requested that we get you there as soon as possible. If we arrive before the weekend ends, you can join the next curriculum."

I nodded. I had business in the Beast Forest anyway.

"It might be a bit dangerous, but I'll do my best to protect you, so don't worry."

"Well, with the 20th generation deputy here, it shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Don't be too complacent. We'll ride horses to the edge of the Beast Forest. Since your riding experience is limited, it will be faster to go on one horse."

Étrangère finished her concise explanation and mounted the horse first.

"Hold on tight. If you grab me awkwardly out of embarrassment and fall off, you might end up with a broken back."

"I'm not that clumsy. This is more like a professional ride."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. Let's go."

I grabbed her hand and climbed on, tightly holding her waist with both arms. She kicked the horse's flank and started to speed up.

The more I held on to withstand the jolts on the moving horse, the more I could smell a strange fragrance from her back.

It was like the scent of lilies or acacia, tickling my nose.

"Stop fidgeting. It's ticklish."

I almost fell off trying to pull my nose away reflexively.

"By the way... did I ever mention that I'm the 20th generation deputy?"

I naturally pretended not to hear her question.

* * *

Before reaching the edge of the forest, Étrangère entrusted the horses to the guards of the outer village.

The path she led me to was an old, closed mountain trail. Overgrown with weeds and bushes, it was a trail untouched by human presence.

The Beast Forest, in reality, is part of a mountain range where forest and mountain areas are mixed.

It's easy to get lost if you go a little further up.

But somehow, it feels familiar.

It's a feeling of memory in the body, not the mind, like when I dodged Biltred's attack.

'I must have come here often.'

Russell, before the possession, must have frequently visited this forest.

"You don't seem to be having any trouble at all."

"I'm used to mountain trails. I had to survive."

"Were you from the Archer family? I didn't know that."

"Not exactly... Wait a moment."

I stopped her.

With Russell's memories surfacing through synchronization, I was more familiar with the forest paths than she was.

Her direction was correct, but it wasn't as professional as a hunter's or a ranger's.

"From now on, I'll take the lead."

I stopped, bent down, and narrowed my eyebrows slightly.

The hardened, dark red droppings on the ground reminded me of a certain beast.

"What is it?"

"It's beast droppings. It's quite large, and leaving such traces means it's likely a high-level beast. We should detour. Do you have enough stamina?"

"I'm fine."

I nodded, looking at her confident expression.

Indeed, for a girl her age, her stamina was unbelievable.

Even on a forced march that would exhaust adult men, her breathing never wavered.

The grayish-white mountain ridge gradually moved.

How far up the mountain did we climb?

Just as Étrangère, a skilled warrior, was about to feel tired and want to rest, I stopped.

"We'll camp here for the night. There won't be a suitable place to rest further ahead."

We arrived at a small cave.

A cave structured in a way that beasts or monsters would find it hard to discover a fire.

It was also very close to the place I planned to visit.

"I often traveled between Grimore and the castle, but I didn't know such a place existed."

I smiled at her surprised expression.

"Moreover, you have better stamina than me without even completing basic military training... No one would believe it."

While Étrangère was staring at me and catching her breath, I quickly started preparing the camp.

I skillfully made a fire and heated the prepared food. I didn't forget to stack hay and cover it with a blanket to create a comfortable sleeping spot.

I also made a monster intrusion alarm using thread and a broken bronze bowl, and cleaned my spear and dagger.

All these tasks were completed in a moment.

"Amazing."

I only glanced at Étrangère's sincere admiration.

As Jin Sejin and Russell, these were familiar tasks, and I didn't feel particularly moved by the praise.

This is the dignity of a reborn veteran.

I took a spoonful of the prepared soup.

The warm liquid sliding down my throat quickly restored the warmth to my body, which had grown cold.

It was a satisfying meal, even though it didn't have much in it.

When I ladled a lot of the solids into her bowl, she smiled faintly.

"The combat training camp is where young people who have just passed their growth spurt receive basic military training to protect themselves in case of war."

Étrangère broke the silence during the meal.

She continued her explanation with a serious expression, as if it was a task she had to do.

"It's a policy of Her Majesty the Queen to ensure that the people of the continent can protect themselves, as we don't know when war might break out again."

Though I already knew this, hearing it from the main character of the stage felt different.

So I just nodded and listened.

"After 8 weeks of training, the children are qualified as 'soldiers.' They become reservists who must respond to emergencies. If they complete the training normally, they can join the kingdom's standing army when they wish."

"Many fail to complete it?"

"Anyone with strong physical strength and the will to work hard can complete it. But if they fail, they must re-enroll the following year."

In other words, if you mess up, you have to go to the military twice.

That's why, even in an 8-week basic military training, there are no slackers.

Oh.