The Childhood Friend of the Villainess in a Romance Fantasy

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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The reason the instructors who taught Elsie couldn’t stay long was her overwhelming physical prowess.

It surpassed what one could call talent for swordsmanship—it was something else entirely.

Swordsmanship is the culmination of stances optimized for wielding a sword. A system established through the study and contemplation of how to survive and defeat opponents wielding various weapons, passed down and refined by future generations over countless years.

Naturally, the swordsmanship varies depending on the creator, the shape of the sword, and its weight. Even if someone learns multiple styles, merging two completely distinct swordsmanships created by different individuals is no easy task.

This is because everything, from the basic stances to the steps, and the way one strikes or thrusts, differs completely.

When swinging a sword with full force, it’s difficult to stop midway. Adjusting the sword’s trajectory takes time, so transitioning between different styles requires caution and considerable skill.

But such considerations do not apply to Elsie.

She possesses the strength to break an opponent’s blade without even swinging her sword with full force.

And because she didn’t swing with full strength, she could stop the sword mid-swing and alter its trajectory at will. Adjusting to a new stance afterward was simple for her.

Among the stances stored in her mind, there isn’t one that Elsie cannot adopt. Her innate physical abilities as someone from Delkis make all of this possible.

With these two factors combined, Elsie’s swordsmanship turned into a haphazard mix of various styles with no discernible structure.

Even if her current stance left her vulnerable to an incoming attack, she had the ability to shift to a better defensive stance before the sword could land on her.

She could halt her sword mid-swing before it struck the opponent’s blade, retract it, adjust her stance so that her sword didn’t overlap with the opponent’s, and move again—all in one fluid motion.

She didn’t need sword aura, nor did she need magic-enhanced strength. A powerful leap from her would render her opponent’s guard futile.

Block? They’d be pushed back along with their weapon. Dodge? The trajectory of her blade would shift mid-swing and still strike. She was a nightmare opponent, leaving her adversaries clueless about how to counter her.

And the scariest part of all? Elsie was considered below average compared to other Delkis people.

Imagine someone stronger and more powerful than Elsie swinging a sword imbued with sword aura. Then it became clear why even swordmaster instructors gave up in frustration when trying to teach her.

It’s easy to understand why the Northern Barbarians, who were stronger than ordinary knights, never managed to cross into the Territory of Delkis.

“Haah, haah, haah…!”

Yet, even while sparring against such an opponent, Adele was smiling as if she was having the time of her life.

Sweat dripped down her forehead, plastering her hair to her skin, her pale face flushed red. Her clothing stuck to her body, drenched in sweat.

If a man were to witness this, he would surely blush and avert his gaze.

Meanwhile, facing Adele, Elsie wore a troubled expression, her eyes darting around awkwardly.

Considering this was the same Elsie who was so shy that she couldn’t even change clothes in front of me, it wasn’t surprising to see her this flustered around Adele, someone she was meeting for only the third time.

…Though, it wasn’t a look I’d ever seen her direct at me.

As Elsie’s wandering eyes met mine, I realized something.

My appearance probably wasn’t much different from Adele’s.

While I had learned swordsmanship, I had never had aspirations of becoming a knight like Adele. My training was only for emergencies—to draw my sword and block a single attack. That was all I needed.

No, to be honest, even that hadn’t been necessary for the past ten years.

Just seeing Elsie’s instructors lament as they left was enough to understand how extraordinary her swordsmanship was.

She might not be on the same level as her brother, Harvey Delkis, but among those in the royal capital, there were few who could duel her with any hope of winning.

Yet this was my first time witnessing Elsie move like this.

Because I had never crossed swords with her.

“Haah!”

Adele charged at Elsie again. She raised her wooden sword high above her head, sprinted a few steps toward Elsie, and swung down with all her might.

Clack!

The swords clashed again, a load thud accompanying the impact. Drops of sweat traveled down from the hand guard of the blade where the sword is being held.

Clack!

The wooden swords struck again. Over and over again, despite being drenched, Adele continued to rush at Elsie as if she couldn’t be happier in that moment.

After several exchanges, Adele retreated.

“Haah, haah.”

With a flushed face from the exertion, her glistening neck reflected the light.

Though it felt a bit inappropriate to think this about a newly made friend, Adele’s appearance could easily captivate any man.

With her elegant features and wielding a wooden sword, she exuded a uniquely serene, almost ethereal aura, reminiscent of a traditional beauty.

“Phew.”

I steadied my breathing.

My clothes clung unpleasantly to my body. Though I remained in a basic sword stance, I hadn’t moved in some time. Honestly, pride was the only thing keeping me upright now.

…No, it’s not just pride, is it? If I’m being honest, there’s also a tinge of jealousy that I couldn’t fully explain.

Unlike Adele, who still seemed full of energy, my legs were trembling.

The wooden sword, polished smooth on the outside, felt slippery in my sweat-soaked hands. If I lowered the sword, sweat from my sleeves would run down the blade and drip onto the ground.

But if I gave up here, Adele would continue enjoying her one-on-one swordsmanship with Elsie for a long time.

And I couldn’t stand that.

I thought I knew Elsie well.

We had talked at length just the night—about her favorite foods, movies she liked, and the manga she enjoyed.

All in a language only the two of us shared, from a world only we knew.

…But now that I think about it, it was always me leading the conversation.

No matter how much we shared stories from our world in our language, I still didn’t know much about what Elsie had experienced and thought about in this world.

When Elsie practiced swordsmanship alone in anxiety, all I did was smile and tell her there was no need for it.

I never even considered why she trained so relentlessly, nor how exceptional her skills truly were. I just assumed it was natural.

“Haah!”

Adele charged at Elsie once more.

Clack, clack!

Their swords collided again, and drops of Adele’s sweat splattered from the impact.

Her movements were so vigorous, yet earlier, she’d said—

Elsie’s swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle of all swordsmen.

“…”

I watched the two of them clash.

Elsie, who had been averting her gaze awkwardly at Adele’s attire, now looked directly at her whenever their swords met. Though Elsie’s overwhelming skill was clear, but in those moments when their swords clashed, it felt like something unspoken passed between them.

Was I overthinking this?

“Haah…”

Adele stepped back again, catching her breath.

Elsie’s eyes darted around nervously before meeting mine.

And then, with a conflicted look, she averted her gaze again.

“…”

I gritted my teeth.

Then, taking a deep breath,

“Haah!”

I rushed toward Elsie.

I didn’t expect to accomplish anything. Honestly, charging in like this might leave me so exhausted I wouldn’t be able to continue practicing.

But I didn’t want to stand by and watch as the two of them disappeared into their own world.

Unfortunately—

Slip.

My foot slipped on the sweat-slick floor.

Already struggling with my inferior stamina and swordsmanship, my exhausted legs failed to regain balance.

“Kyaah!”

What had started as a spiried battle cry quickly turned into an embarrassing scream.

Thud.

Just as my body began to topple backward, I stopped mid-air.

Something supported my waist, lifting me back to my feet.

“…”

When I looked up, all I could see was Elsie’s face.

And the warmth of her body pressed against me was unmistakable.

“You seem quite exhausted, My Lady,” she said, her gaze meeting mine directly.

In a way, my final charge had achieved its goal.