I Raised the Villain's Daughter Too Well-Chapter 33: Didn’t Know! -

I chose my words as carefully as I could.

“...That’s... huh. I’ve never heard that kind of evaluation before.”

“I-I mean, um. Sorry. I just... I couldn’t think of how else to describe it...” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Leah muttered, her voice shrinking.

“It’s all right. So, I should take that to mean my swordsmanship was so refined it came off as... sensual?”

“No. That’s not it at all.”

She waved her hands in firm denial.

A speaker who meant every word literally, it seemed.

“This sword style—did you create it yourself?”

“Yes, I did. You could tell?”

“What did you name it?”

“I haven’t named it. I never intended to popularize it.”

“Aw, what a shame...”

I was surprised, honestly.

She was a Hero’s descendant, yes, but to be able to tell just from watching that I’d originated the form...

But the truly surprising part came next.

“Are there any weaknesses?”

“Hmm... I think that would depend on who it’s for.”

“...Pardon?”

“I mean, you didn’t make this sword style for yourself, right? Not for many people either. Just one person.”

“...What?”

“And she’s a woman. Am I right?”

I got chills.

“...How could you tell?”

“That wasn’t hard. Among cadets, you’re very skilled—but not that skilled. You’re not quite at knight-commander level. But the refinement in your swordplay is absurd. That’s when I realized—you’re the original creator.”

“And the part about it being for someone else...?”

“All your strike angles are just slightly lower than optimal. It’s not a flaw, but I wondered why you’d do that—then I noticed how few forceful movements there were, and how the slashes were streamlined to a fault. You built this style with someone else in mind. You’re the creator, yet you didn’t tailor it to yourself. Even though you train your body thoroughly, you deliberately avoid capitalizing on that strength... it didn’t add up. And that’s when it clicked.”

...No, I think you’re the weird one.

First Armeria, now Leah.

The blood of Heroes ran far too thick in the Paltis line. If a real Hero had enrolled in the Academy, this is exactly what they’d be like.

As I was adjusting my understanding of the Paltis Family, Leah sat back down and clutched her cheeks.

“S-So yeah. It’s a little sexy, right? Creating an entire sword style for just one person. It’s like... like something out of a romantic novel. So passionate...”

“It’s not only for one person.”

“Ehehe, don’t lie. I could tell from every movement that it was designed for someone specific. Who is she?”

Leah grinned slyly, looking utterly convinced.

There was no winning this.

I sighed in surrender and resolved never again to display my sword in front of the daughter of House Paltis.

“I created it for my master, Lady Firnea.”

Leah’s eyes went wide, and she clamped both hands over her mouth.

“No way—seriously?! This is like... forbidden love!”

“I’ll make this perfectly clear: I did not create it with romantic intentions. I simply designed a sword style that would allow my lady, a mage, to cast spells in the midst of close combat.”

Though now that Firnea had basically become the god of magic, it had turned into a useless relic.

“You created an entire sword art purely out of loyalty? Hmm... I don’t buy it.”

“You really do enjoy love stories, don’t you?”

“I love them a lot. I’ve read over a thousand romance novels, you know?”

Leah stood up and drew her sword.

And from the moment she assumed her stance—flawless, without the slightest opening—

I was overwhelmed by a crushing pressure.

This wasn’t the flustered noble girl who’d just been blushing over romance.

It felt like I was facing a battle-hardened war veteran drunk on bloodshed.

Yet Leah continued smiling brightly, aiming her blade at me.

“As thanks for the sweet story, I’ll give you some feedback. Honestly, the form was so polished it was amazing—but because you loaded it with too many good elements, its practicality dipped just a little.”

“...And you’re fine with that?”

To not just critique my sword, but teach me?

Judging by her insight earlier, Leah’s understanding of swordsmanship was absolute.

It was a ridiculously good deal for me.

“Yeah. This is pretty much the only thing I can do for you, after all.”

“...I don’t want to be shameless, so I’ll say this plainly. Just from that brief conversation, I could already tell your swordsmanship has reached a certain realm. Not just at the Academy—any swordsman in the world would pay a fortune for a single piece of ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) your advice. It feels wrong to accept such a gift just for lending an ear.”

“Hm... I guess? I don’t really think much of swords though...”

“...”

Leah rubbed her chin casually, totally unbothered.

It wasn’t a bluff or false humility.

She really didn’t think much of swordsmanship.

...The descendant of a Hero.

“Oh! Then how about this as a trade?”

“What kind of trade?”

“Every time we meet, just bring me one cadet’s love story.”

“...Excuse me?”

“I want to hear about how people our age fall in love. I want to see if it’s anything like the novels.”

It was a bizarre sight.

Her right arm—completely motionless, like time itself had stopped.

But the rest of her body—fidgeting, bashful, twisting with embarrassment.

A pure-hearted noble lady’s mind, wrapped inside the body of a fully formed warrior.

If irony had a face, this would be it.

“It’s still too good a deal for me, but...”

“But I want to hear them! I can’t ask myself—everyone avoids me.”

I thought about it for a moment—

...but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to reject such an offer.

“That’s too good a proposal to turn down. I’ll gladly learn from you.”

“Great decision! You’re gonna love it!”

Watching Leah smile brightly—without the slightest idea of what she’d just offered me—I became certain of one thing.

The head of the Paltis Family...

...must’ve had a hell of a time raising her.

****

“Lady Lariel, I’ve brought what you requested.”

“Ohohoho~ Thank you kindly! This is certain to please her~!”

Behind the Academy, in a secluded area—

Lariel took something from a maid wearing a mask and laughed grandly.

Thirty-eight diamonds, polished so finely that just one could buy a small village.

And it wasn’t just that they were embedded carelessly—they had been intricately cut and set by the Empire’s finest jewelers. A pendant so exquisite it could truly be called the pinnacle of beauty.

Lariel herself cherished it deeply, keeping it sealed away in her manor and hardly ever wearing it.

That was how precious this pendant was.

‘So naturally, it suits her perfectly!’

Lariel smiled, picturing her new lord and master.

It was the first time.

Someone she could admire—not just as a young lady, but as a human being—in intellect, ability, and beauty alike.

It had only been a single night, but that was more than enough time to decide who she’d follow for the rest of her life.

As she thought of Firnea, she struggled to suppress the smile tugging at her lips.

She would be pleased, surely. Perhaps she would even keep Lariel at her side to commend her.

“Fufufu~ Lalalala~”

Lariel skipped all the way back to the dormitory, light as air. She stopped before the largest, top-floor room and knocked eagerly on the door.

“Lady Firnea~ It’s Lariel. May I come in?”

Then—

—click.

“...?”

The door opened on its own—without her touching it.

...What was that? Lariel tilted her head for a moment, then her flower-garden brain kicked into gear.

‘Ah! She opened it for me from inside!’

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that...”

Lariel squirmed with glee and pushed the door open.

But Firnea wasn’t waiting behind it.

She was at her desk, silently writing something down.

Lariel tilted her head again, confused as to how the door had been opened—

“...Huh?”

She felt it then—something off.

It was Firnea, yes... but not the Firnea she knew.

The atmosphere was entirely different. Above all, her eyes—

Those weren’t the eyes she usually had.

Cold, utterly devoid of life.

Firnea slowly lifted her gaze toward Lariel.

And in that gaze, there wasn’t a shred of warmth. It wasn’t how someone looked at another person—it was how you might look at a rock on the side of the road.

“...”

“L-Lady Firnea...?”

Lariel instinctively took a step back, a flicker of fear rising in her chest.

Only then did Firnea slowly raise her hand.

A ring resting on the desk floated silently into the air and slid neatly onto her index finger.

“...Haa.”

As she gently pressed the ring, her eyes closed—and the Firnea Lariel had sworn loyalty to returned.

The cold, lifeless gaze disappeared. Her expression softened.

She looked up at Lariel and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Lariel, what’s the matter?”

“...Ah, I, um...”

Lariel couldn’t find the words.

For a moment, she questioned what she’d just seen.

But no answer came to mind.

So she decided to just forget it.

“Lady Firnea! This pendant—I’ve cherished it dearly for years—but I thought it would suit you perfectly, so I brought it!”

“Hmm? Ah, that’s sweet of you. But I’m really not planning to wear any other pendants. You should keep it.”

“Kyah?!”

****

The next day.

“Virdem, are you sure you’re okay?”

I, shirking even my role as a butler, lied to Firnea as she looked at me with concern.

“Of course. No issues whatsoever.”

...Though in truth, my body felt like it had been shattered into dust.

But none of it was Firnea’s fault.

...it was Leah’s.

[Okay, now here—rotate your waist a full 360 degrees. You can do that, right?]

[I cannot. The human body was not designed to twist like that and survive.]

[You won’t die though? Here, I’ll help with a little force—no, don’t resist! Hiyah!... Oh. Oops.]

[...]

[T-That wasn’t my fault! You resisted—wait, I mean, you tensed up! Okay, let’s just try 180 degrees. That should be fine, right?]

[Excuse me, wait, that’s—]

She did help with training ground maintenance afterward, taking responsibility...

But by then, my body was already wrecked beyond repair.

I couldn’t even blame her. The truth was, her instruction had helped tremendously.

I realized there was far more room for improvement in my self-developed sword technique than I’d thought.

If I could fully optimize it with her guidance, I’d become far stronger than I was now.

...Even if it meant my body was a complete ruin in the process.

“You still look like you’re struggling. Maybe you should rest?”

“That’s exactly what I cannot do.”

I frowned sternly.

Today, Firnea was attending an advanced swordsmanship lecture.

That alone wouldn’t be a problem—

But the professor was insane.

“A three-person combat simulation in a mana space? That’s not something a sane person would assign on the first day.”

From what I’d heard, the professor grouped up cadets in trios and threw them into a sealed mana zone, grading them on how they cleared specific objectives.

It was absolutely not something you assign in the first lecture.

I needed to stay glued to Firnea’s side.

“He said he’s evaluating cadets’ real abilities. Says you can’t properly judge people without live combat.”

“There are plenty of better methods. Even if mana zones are supposedly ‘safe,’ I can’t allow you to enter one alone.”

“U-Uh...”

Firnea fidgeted with her fingers, eyes looking anywhere but mine.

“They’re assigning teams with marbles anyway...”

“Hmm...”

After a moment of deliberation, I leaned in and made a request.

“Please rig the results.”

If it’s Firnea... she can absolutely pull it off.