Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy – Chapter 22

༺  But indeed, they were Huge. ༻

“Ah~ My unparalleled beauty must be the greatest among all knights in history. Too beautiful~”

“Oh, Rachel? You admit to having outstanding beauty?”

“……I never said such a thing.”

Rachel denied with a baffled expression.

She had never once thought her face to be remarkable.

“Oh my, look at this honey-like skin~ Don’t attack my face~ If it gets marred, I might just kill you~”

“Hmm, Rachel. Contrary to appearances, you were cunning?”

“……I’ve never been cunning.”

Rachel denied with a flabbergasted face.

For her, who had always distanced herself from femininity, these words were absurd and somewhat humiliating.

“My swordsmanship reaches the heavens! The only one who can defeat me is myself!”

“Indeed, fitting of my knight. Success comes with confidence. Excellent.”

“…I’ve never reached the heavens.”

Trembling.

Wrinkles formed on Rachel’s usually calm brow.

Knowing that confidence could lead to arrogance, she had humbly walked every path.

“Being a woman doesn’t mean I’m weak! It’s because I refuse to submit to a weak world! I will never surrender-!”

“Ho, so you’re weak because you submit to a weak world. This really is a splendid line, isn’t it? I see you in a new light, Rachel.”

“……Do, do not look at me again.”

Rachel’s face gradually reddened, embarrassed to utter such cringe-worthy lines.

It was a shameful statement for her, who felt awkward about emotional expressions.

Her fist clenched.

She wanted to smack Elden on the head for reciting lines like he was enjoying a reading session.

What could be the reason for doing things he had never done before, things he had never cared about?

“With this sword, I will cut through the cloudy skies and brighten the world. Dreams and hopes will form a mountain that everyone can climb.”

“Ah- This line is truly romantic. It sends shivers down my spine. Rachel, contrary to appearances, you’re an optimistic type?”

“……I am not. I neither enjoy romance nor have I ever been optimistic.”

Trembling intensively.

She had always considered the world to be ugly, dirty, and dark.

That’s why she lived stubbornly, surviving amidst all kinds of filth and blood.

Romance was trash, and optimism was a sin.

Who could it be?

The one who transferred such pathetic delusions into text, insulting her beliefs.

With repeated shame and humiliation, Rachel’s face gradually reddened.

And then.

“Ah, this body sculpted by the gods themselves is truly fantastic, you know~? Hiding it would definitely be a sin.”

Glancing.

“…Do, do not look at me with such lecherous eyes.”

“Rachel, you’ve been covering it up, but you seem confident about your figure?”

Glancing.

“…Why are you looking at me like that, Your Highness?”

“Hee…, it’s human nature to yearn for what one doesn’t have! I’ve always been so envious of people with great figures! If there’s a chance, I’d love to bathe with Knight Rachel!”

“That, that will never happen.”

Rachel’s face inevitably turned as red as a beet.

She had always been self-conscious about her womanly figure, which she found bothersome.

For a knight, voluptuousness was nothing but a hindrance.

Rachel gritted her teeth.

And she had to ask.

“Who exactly wrote such delusions? I wish to know the author.”

With these teeth, I will chastise.

With this fist, I will mark the pathetic face.

Thus, she vowed revenge and asked Ariel.

“It’s… not their real name.”

“That’s fine. Someone must know the identity behind the pen name.”

Squeak.

Ariel hesitated for a moment before quietly begging in a voice that sounded slightly angry.

“The pen name is ‘Broken Man.'”

“Broken Man….”

Knight Rachel, who had been humiliated by someone she had never met or known.

To resolve this anger, there was only one way.

To find them.

And to kill them.

Rachel found another reason to live in this world.

**

“Thanks for having lunch with me! It was really a splendid meal. Then, I’ll head to the library~!”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

After quickly finishing their meal in the Great Hall, Ariel returned to the library, and I was heading to the training grounds with Rachel.

Holding the novel [The Path of the Violet Knight] in my hand.

“That book… do you really intend to read it to the end?”

“It’s interesting, isn’t it? Learning about a family member and a knight who will be by my side all day is a good thing for an employer as well.”

“…It’s nothing but a self-gratifying text written with delusions that differ from the truth.”

“After all, fan fiction needs delusions. But thanks to it, I got to know about your tastes and hobbies. Especially the part about enjoying monster cuisine since childhood was quite pleasing.”

In the novel, Rachel spent her time not wielding a sword doing ‘writing’ and ‘knitting.’

By not denying it, she also acknowledged it.

It was unexpected for Rachel, who had lived a harsh life, to have such hobbies, seeming far from anything cute or delicate.

Moreover, since the original Elden had no memory of Rachel enjoying these hobbies, it seemed to have been done quite secretly(?).

Perhaps the fan fiction, enriched with such high-quality information, was written by a stalker who had genuine feelings for Rachel.

Of course, that’s what fan fiction is.

A novel filled with fan love, and therefore, inevitably full of personal wishes and desires.

Crossing the boundaries between delusion and reality is what makes a fan fiction, and it was possible in the medieval era where copyright and human rights were thrown to the wind for a stalking fan fiction to be openly displayed in the library of the grand duchy.

Perhaps the author created a bright and cheerful character in the novel Rachel, hoping she would cherish and love herself, knowing how harsh and ruthless her life had been.

As one reader and as an employer who had Rachel as a knight, I thought it was a commendable sentiment.

Even though I had only read the beginning, I could vividly imagine how fiercely Rachel had lived and the bone-crushing pain she endured to overcome her inherent frailty.

Despite achieving the highest honor of the Violet Knight, Rachel felt somewhat pitiable for not being able to become a royal knight or the captain of the grand duchy’s guard due to being a woman and having a lowly background.

In terms of honor, Rachel, who had enough to lead any powerful organization, not just a declining earl’s knight, had to live a fierce life in a basement, unable to fully utilize her abilities due to having too much to lose.

Of course, compared to Rachel, Jun Woo’s life was insignificantly miserable, but it wasn’t a mistake to find similarities between them.

I must treat her well.

With that determination, I arrived at the training grounds, and the moment I saw the chilling excitement on Rachel’s face as she turned around,

That determination flew right out the window.

“Let’s get ready. We’re starting immediately.”

…Rachel’s black pupils seemed to turn red, but that must be my imagination, right?

**

Thump, thump, thump.

It seems it wasn’t my imagination that Rachel’s black pupils appeared red.

Proposing a bare-handed sparring session under the pretext that a master must fully understand the disciple’s level, I now find myself unable to escape the fate of a punching bag.

Fortunately, unlike a sandbag that gets beaten up while hanging from a rope, I have arms and legs to defend myself.

Moreover, the incident with Deron’s punch appearing incredibly slow wasn’t a hallucination but a confirmation of my genuinely good dynamic vision.

‘I can see it.’

Rachel’s punches and movements are visible, and I can even predict her next actions.

Perhaps the saying is true that those who have experienced fighting do it well.

It wasn’t just for venting frustration that Elden Rapellion enjoyed and excelled in fights.

Even a mindless hooligan had ‘talent’ and something he ‘excelled’ in, which served as a means to express it.

Of course, bare-handed fighting wasn’t Rachel’s specialty, and she might be showing leniency in her first duel with a disciple, but considering the gap between a UFC champion and an amateur fighter roaming the streets, just being able to defend was an achievement in itself.

Perhaps that’s why.

Rachel’s previously light punches became heavier, and her face, which had been filled with a creepy excitement, turned serious.

In response, I also took it seriously.

For the sake of the gourmet journey I would embark upon across the continent, Master’s practical combat training was essential.

The final evaluation of the pointless engagement battle seemed less meaningful than this evaluation duel that assessed basic skills.

Whoosh!

Dozens of exchanges happened in an instant, and Rachel stopped moving.

My whole body was throbbing.

Indeed, it was hard to believe this power came from a woman.

“You have a natural talent. And your fundamentals are solid.”

Being focused on defense made it difficult to breathe evenly, and I had to catch my breath while leaning on my knees.

Due to a lack of exercise, my arms and legs also began to tremble.

While I certainly had talent, it seemed necessary to concurrently work on physical conditioning and strength training.

“Haah- Haah- Is that considered decent?”

“Yes. However, if your stamina is lacking, it can disrupt your concentration, so you’ll need to exercise. You also lack muscle strength.”

“Right. Then…”

Snap!

As I straightened my upper body while catching my breath, Rachel suddenly tripped me with her leg, and I ended up falling hard.

Was this to teach me to be prepared for surprises?

Or was it to take out her frustration for not being able to beat up someone who teased her by reading that strange fan fiction?

The latter seemed closer to her intention, but the important thing wasn’t that.

Humans try to escape when faced with a crisis.

If escape is impossible, they try to minimize the damage in any way possible.

It’s a primal human instinct to dislike pain, and my attempt to grab something to minimize the damage while falling was a natural defensive reaction.

The problem was.

What my hand touched was Rachel’s chest.

It’s fortunate I didn’t grasp it.

It’s fortunate I didn’t create a bigger crisis by trying to avoid one.

It’s fortunate I didn’t become a perverted disciple who grabbed Master’s chest during our first duel.

Yes, it’s better to fall flat on my face.

Thud!

Inadvertently, while falling to the ground, I ended up capturing the soft and squishy sensation in my palm, and as I looked up, Rachel’s disdainful face was unavoidable.

“……Was this the true purpose of the training?”

No.

“No. That’s not it…”

You were the one who tripped me, right?

“Indeed…”

No.

“Truly befitting of a nobleman.”

No, that’s not me.

“Low-quality.”

…

…

…

“But indeed, they were sizable.”