How to Survive as That Villainess - Chapter 4

Chapter 1: The Villainess named Radel (3)

Excited about my first outing, I ran around the streets, practically skipping. Even though it was night, the streets were bright thanks to the high-hanging moon. The flowers blooming everywhere were sparkling in the moonlight. I enjoyed the dreamlike, ethereal streets with Vivian—though she looked tired.

Wow, it’s so quiet and beautiful…

“You punk, how dare you mess with my girl?”

“As if she’s your girl, come on, let’s fight!”

Really quiet…

“If you bumped into me, you should apologize!”

“Hic, whatever, get lost!”

It’s a mess. That was my first impression of roaming the streets. I now understand why Vivian advised against going out. Walking without a guard felt like I could end up in danger immediately. All I saw were brawlers and drunks. While sighing at this unfamiliar yet somehow familiar scene, I noticed an eye-catching shop.

“Vivian! Let’s check that place out.”

“Miss, before that…”

Vivian, who stopped me as I was about to dash off, gathered my long, straight hair, which reached my waist, and tied it up. Then she draped a robe, which she had hanging on her arm, over me and spoke in a worried tone.

“Just in case someone recognizes you.”

“Aha, so this is how you disguise your identity!”

It feels like we’re in a spy movie, and it’s exciting. Pulling the robe down over my face, I entered the noisy shop with Vivian. As soon as we stepped inside, we were hit by the stale smell and the scent of strong liquor.

“A tavern…?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t seem like an ordinary one.”

Vivian said this while looking somewhere, and I turned my gaze to follow hers. Deep in the tavern was a large dueling arena. I thought it was unusually spacious compared to other places, and now I see why. In the circular arena, two men who looked like swordsmen were clashing swords, with the larger man pushing back the relatively leaner one.

“Oh, we have customers. Welcome. What can I get you?”

A man approached us and spoke. I was so focused on the duel that I was startled and looked at him. The man, who seemed to be the owner, had a warm and welcoming demeanor.

“Oh, we’ll order later. But could you explain what’s going on there?”

Since I’m still a minor and can’t drink, I improvised to avoid being kicked out for not ordering anything. Pointing at the dueling arena, I asked, and the owner laughed heartily.

“Haha, that’s an event we hold here every night.”

“An event?”

“Yes. It’s a swordsmanship competition, and the final winner receives a prize.”

Oh, a prize?

The mention of a prize made my eyes light up. Events like these are always more fun. Since I’ve been learning swordsmanship, I looked at Vivian with sparkling eyes.

“Miss… Surely you’re not thinking…”

“Just once, I’ll do it just once.”

“…If it seems dangerous, please stop immediately.”

Vivian, who had been by my side long enough to know my stubbornness, let out a deep sigh. When I told her she’d age quickly if she kept sighing like that, she gave me a sharp look.

“Wait, hold on. You seem like a noble lady, and that’s more dangerous than it looks!”

“It’s okay! I can handle a sword a little!”

When I said this with a bright smile, the shop owner looked troubled but didn’t stop me any further. The night street and the tavern event made me feel even more like I was in a novel. Being possessed is not a common occurrence, so I might as well enjoy everything!

“Please be careful…”

With a concerned look from Vivian, I walked toward the arena. It seemed the match was almost over. The big guy disarmed his opponent and finished him off with a punch. Wait a second, isn’t it supposed to be just swords?

“We finally have a winner! Today’s champion is Alfredo! Now, is there anyone who wishes to challenge Alfredo?”

“Me, me!”

I hesitated for a moment at the unexpectedly tense atmosphere, but the announcer’s booming voice made me raise my hand reflexively. The big guy named Alfredo looked strong, but he didn’t seem to have much technique. Thinking I could win more easily than expected, I raised my hand without hesitation, and suddenly, the room went silent. Just a moment ago, the cheers were deafening…?

“Uh, the young lady…?”

“Yes, me. Oh, is it not allowed for women?”

The festive atmosphere became quieter than a college entrance exam hall in an instant. Is there a rule against women? I glanced at the announcer standing on a podium and asked, but he seemed at a loss, wearing a troubled expression.

“It’s not that it’s not allowed, but…”

“Then I’d like to challenge!”

Drawing the sword I had brought for self-defense, I stepped into the arena. The large Alfredo sneered at me, while the audience looked on with either surprise or interest. I smiled as confidently as I could and pointed my sword at my opponent.

“Th-then let the match begin…”

The bell rang to signal the start of the match. The announcer looked on in disbelief at this unexpectedly initiated match. I tried to reassure him by making a peace sign with my fingers and smiling.

“Little miss, are you sure about this? It won’t end with just a few broken bones.”

Can bones really break in a sword fight? My opponent looks strong, but surely he won’t use his fists against a woman. From the previous match, it seemed like using other weapons or fists was allowed, but… I recalled the moment when this man, Alfredo, in front of me, slammed someone down with his fist. I’m not scared, but I should be cautious. I should end this quickly and grab the prize.

“Ah, Mr. Announcer! What’s the prize?”

“Five thousand gold and a ruby ring…”

Hmm, that seems a bit excessive for a shop event prize. I don’t need the money since I don’t have any use for it, but the ring does seem tempting. My fingers felt bare, so this is perfect!

“Hey, are you ignoring me?”

Alfredo, who I had been ignoring while talking to the announcer, approached as if angry. He was even bigger than I had thought, which startled me. His muscles were more grotesque than I imagined. The way he flaunted his bulging arm muscles was somewhat unsettling. Ugh, I can’t keep looking.

“What, are you scared? It’s not too late to forfeit.”

When I looked away because of his intimidating muscles, Alfredo mistakenly thought I was afraid and laughed loudly. His voice was as big as his size. I looked at Alfredo while covering my ears. Oh, my eyes!

“If you’re not forfeiting, I’m going first!”

Alfredo rushed at me without waiting for a reply. Hmm, what should I do now? Sparring with swords seems like too much. Ah, let’s just finish this in one go! When I first learned swordsmanship from Vivian, I learned a useful tip. If you want to safely subdue someone like a molester or a robber on the street, aim for their weak spot and handle it quickly.

So, I lightly dodged the man rushing at me and struck the back of his neck with the sword hilt. I did what I was taught, but would he really collapse like in the movies?

“Ugh!”

“!!”

Huh? Why are you collapsing, Mr. Alfredo? Alfredo, who had been moving with such intensity a moment ago, lay flat on the ground as if dead. Unless he’s doing this because he’s sleepy or has a great attachment to the floor, is it possible that I did this?

“Wow, amazing. He went down in one hit…”

When one of the spectators, unable to hide their astonishment, spoke, I realized what had happened.

I took him down.

Vivian’s teachings were indeed remarkable. It’s impressive that even such a big guy went down in one hit. Or have I just discovered my new talent? While I was dumbfounded, marveling at my newfound ability, the announcer’s loud and booming voice rang out again.

“The contender Alfredo has been defeated! The new winner is… um, the Knight of the Red Rose!”

Ack! Don’t give me weird nicknames! My red hair must have come loose and slipped out from under the robe. The announcer quickly scanned my red hair and gave me an embarrassing nickname. The Knight of the Red Rose? How cheesy! So tacky! I wish they would just ask for my name instead! Oh, I guess that’s not possible. I am a noble lady, after all… Anyway, the announcer has no sense of naming.

“Then, is there no next challenger?”

“Me, me!”

“No, next is me…!”

I’m unexpectedly popular. I’m not at all happy about this kind of popularity, but I wanted to try a proper sword duel, so I was a little excited as I scanned the next contestant candidates.

“Miss… Let’s just go home.”

Vivian, who had come close without me noticing, was looking at me with a worried expression from the audience. When she told me it was time to leave, I hesitated for a moment, thinking this opportunity wouldn’t come again, and shook my head.

“If it looks like I’ll lose, I’ll stop right away.”

“Miss…!”

I heard Vivian’s desperate voice but ignored it and chose the next challenger. Bald, but somehow looks strong! As I looked at the challenger, I thought I would stop if I lost this time. And somehow, I ended up winning again, choosing the next opponent… and after repeating this, I was heading toward my fifth victory.

“That young lady is amazing! She’s already taken down four people with that small body!”

“Miss. Let’s go now…!”

Listening to the audience’s admiration and Vivian’s resigned voice at the same time put me in a great mood. It seemed I indeed had a talent for targeting weak spots and knocking people out in one hit, allowing me to take down challengers easily.

Sometimes I crossed swords and fought, but it was hard to defeat adult men with strength alone. By dodging quickly and attacking, I managed to win a few times. It was close, but since I won in the end, it turned out well!

If there were no more challengers, I could take the prize money and the ring as the winner. Nice. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like no more challengers would come forward. Am I the champion now?

“So, is there no one else who wishes to challenge?”

The announcer eagerly looked for challengers, but no one raised their hand. I was sure of my victory and thought about getting ready to go home…

“Oh, we have a challenger!”

“…?!”

For a moment, I thought my heart stopped. From the audience, a man silently approached, announcing his challenge. He was quite—no, extremely handsome. Black hair darker than the night sky, deep and beautiful red eyes. I knew this breathtakingly handsome young man very well. Even if I wanted to forget, I couldn’t—he was one of the fish in Seria’s pond.

…Kailon Raven, why are you here?!