XIII ・ Sheila
I was born in the country of Vulcan.
My father, Garai, was one of the strongest among the Seven Star Swordsmen of Vulcan.
Although the title of Seven Star Swordsman signifies strength, it is a hereditary position passed down to the eldest son of each family, and children are trained rigorously from a young age to maintain that title.
Growing up in such an environment, I also practiced swordsmanship from an early age, often receiving instruction from my father.
The technique of dual-wielding swords has been passed down in our family along with its nickname, and I somehow learned it while sparring with my father.
Currently, I am known as Sheila the Dual Sword, but in the past, the name “Dual Sword” referred to my father, Garai.
“If only you were a boy…”
These were words my father often muttered. Vulcan is a male-dominated society where a woman inheriting the family name was unthinkable. I had a younger brother who would inherit the family, but he wasn’t as skilled with the sword as I was.
Of course, my brother made tremendous efforts, as the idea of a weak person claiming the title of Seven Star Swordsman was unacceptable. It would bring shame to the nation of Vulcan.
Some families of the Seven Star Swordsmen maintained their family name by marrying off their daughters to talented men.
Our family took pride in having the eldest son inherit the Seven Star Swordsman title for generations, and taking a son-in-law from another family was unthinkable. This put significant pressure on my brother.
While my brother might become a respectable knight, I knew he could never be as strong as I was. He also gradually realized this, and the relationship between us siblings grew cold.
Unhappy with the deteriorating atmosphere at home because of me, I left at the age of 14. Staying home would only result in me being married off to another family of the Seven Star Swordsmen, and I did not want to marry a man weaker than myself.
After leaving home, I relied on connections to join an adventurer’s guild in a distant town, and quickly made a name for myself.
I formed a party, defeated powerful monsters, explored dungeons and ancient ruins, and my adventurer rank rose rapidly.
The life of an adventurer was far from easy, but I enjoyed it. I was free, and being strong meant that, even as a woman, I could gain status and fame. I never lacked for money either.
A turning point came about six months ago, during my fulfilling days.
Siegmund, the head of the Five Heavenly Kings of the Dorsen Kingdom, visited me.
Siegmund was originally an S-rank adventurer, and he had helped me a lot when I was a rookie.
He was also one of the few people I acknowledged as stronger than myself.
“I want you to join the Five Heavenly Kings,”
he said bluntly.
“Dorsen is currently lacking in military strength. The Five Heavenly Kings have been short-staffed for some time. If this continues, it could invite invasions from other countries. That would lead to war. To prevent that, we need your strength.”
I knew about this situation. It was widely rumored that Dorsen, having lost a battle to Faloon, was rapidly losing power, and other countries were eyeing the opportunity.
“You want me in the Five Heavenly Kings? But I’m a woman.”
While Camilla, the [Mad Princess], held a position among the Five Heavenly Kings due to her royal status, typically, like the Seven Star Swordsmen, only men held these positions.
“This is no time to worry about gender. If you have the necessary strength, that’s all that matters. You have that strength. His Majesty also approves.”
I was drawn to these words. No matter how renowned an adventurer I was, I was still seen as a rogue in society. However, as one of the Five Heavenly Kings, I would become a public figure recognized by the Dorsen Kingdom. A position I couldn’t achieve as a Seven Star Swordsman.
But I had a significant concern.
“Currently, Dorsen’s enemy is my homeland, Vulcan. You want me to fight against them?”
Dorsen and Vulcan had long been at odds over the mining rights near their border. If a war were to break out, it would likely be between Dorsen and Vulcan.
“I will handle the border with Vulcan. I want you to take charge of another area. I also swear that Dorsen will not invade Vulcan. On my honor.”
Siegmund valued honor above all else. If he swore on his honor, he would not break his word.
“…I enjoy my life as an adventurer. Besides, my brother is set to inherit the family, and my becoming one of the Five Heavenly Kings might cause complications.”
My becoming one of the Five Heavenly Kings could be seen as a slight against Vulcan. Though I had partially severed ties with my family, they were still my family, and I didn’t want to cause them any harm.
“I understand. But please don’t make a hasty decision. Dorsen needs your strength. I promise to treat you as a noble.”
“A noble?”
I was surprised. It was almost impossible to change one’s social class. Born a commoner, you died a commoner; born a noble, you died a noble. Even though I was once a noble, becoming a noble again after becoming an adventurer was unheard of.
“Yes. We are moving into an era where merit matters more than inherited status. The war with Faloon made us realize this. In that country, even the queen’s position is decided by strength. I witnessed the epic battle between Lady Camilla and the Thunder Emperor Frau. Strength is not something to be underestimated just because you are a woman. In fact, even if you’re a man, without strength, you’re worthless. Please, consider it.”
With that, Siegmund bowed his head to me.
“Can I have some time to think?”
I postponed my decision.
Honestly, I was tempted by the idea of becoming one of the Five Heavenly Kings. Siegmund was someone I owed a debt to and trusted. However, I had no complaints about my life as an adventurer, and I was also concerned about my family.
I wanted some time to think it over calmly.
A while later, I received a letter from my family.
It said, “Come back to Vulcan and inherit the family.”
“What is going on?!”
I couldn’t help but shout after reading the letter. It didn’t say my brother was dead or injured. Suddenly, it was decided that I would inherit the family.
What had happened at home? I decided to consult my party members. My party consisted of people from Vulcan, and they might know what’s going on back home.
I gathered my party members in a room at the adventurer’s guild.
“Isn’t it great? Let’s go back together.”
The response was unexpected.
It turned out they had also received similar letters from their families and close associates, offering them good positions in Vulcan.
We had formed a party because we were all in similar circumstances. Despite being skilled, we couldn’t make it in our homeland and shared a common goal of proving ourselves to our families and country.
Considering this, it wasn’t a bad offer to gain status in Vulcan.
But why now?
“You’re going back too, right, Sheila? You’re not planning to go to Dorsen, are you?”
One of my party members pressed me.
(Oh, I see.)
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
I understood the situation from their attitude.
They had informed our families in Vulcan about my contact with Siegmund.
Given the current political climate, they could guess the content of the offer I received. This prompted Vulcan’s higher-ups to make this offer to prevent me from going to Dorsen.
But what about my brother? After all his efforts to inherit the Seven Star Swordsman title, he was suddenly being displaced through no fault of his own. I still cared for my brother.
“My brother will inherit the family. I am not returning to Vulcan.”
I declared firmly.
“Are you planning to betray Vulcan? Are you going to Dorsen?!”
My party members confronted me.
“Wasn’t it them who betrayed me first?”
Tension filled the room. However, in a physical confrontation, I, as a front-line knight, would have the advantage over my party members who were a mage, a priest, and a thief. Even if it was three against one, I wouldn’t lose.
“…Weren’t you aiming to become one of the Seven Star Swords?”
One of my comrades spoke, their tone softened a bit after cooling their head.
“Yes, at first, I admired them purely and wanted to become one. But now, it’s different. I don’t want to achieve that by taking my brother’s place.”
I looked at each of my comrades. They all had expressions of confusion. They wanted recognition from their families and our country, and they’ve worked hard to get to this point. I understood why they didn’t want to miss this opportunity now that they were finally recognized.
“Let’s disband the party. You all should return to Vulcan. I will continue as an adventurer.”
And so, I lost my comrades.
After disbanding the party, I was contemplating what to do next when one day, someone came to visit me again.
It was my father.
We sat facing each other in a room we rented from the Adventurer’s Guild.
“You look well. I’ve heard about your exploits. I’m proud of you.”
My father’s face, which I hadn’t seen in years, looked a bit older, with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“You seem to be in good health too, Father. I’m sorry for leaving home so suddenly.”
I was a bit nervous. I knew he came to bring me back to Vulcan. I didn’t know how to refuse.
“I read your letter. You don’t plan to return to Vulcan?”
I had written in my letter that I was relinquishing my inheritance.
“Yes. I think my brother should inherit.”
“I see. That’s fine. But I’d still like you to return to Vulcan. The situation around Vulcan is unstable. We need as many capable people as possible. The higher-ups have assured me they’ll provide you with a good position.”
My father wasn’t forceful, as always, speaking gently. But this made it harder to refuse.
“Well, um…”
“What’s the matter? Do you have someone special?”
My father asked something strange. No, it wasn’t strange. Considering my age, it was natural for a parent to be curious.
Incidentally, I didn’t have anyone special. My policy of only dating someone stronger than me had led me to reach S-rank, and there was no one stronger around me anymore.
However, my eyes caught a piece of paper on the bulletin board in the room.
The paper announced that Faloon was recruiting new candidates for the queen.
“I want to become the queen of King Faloon.”
Before I knew it, I had said something outrageous.
“Queen of King Faloon?”
My father looked puzzled.
“Yes. There’s a selection process for a new queen in Faloon’s capital soon, and I have applied.”
Of course, I hadn’t applied. I just learned about it now.
“I know about that… but why King Faloon?”
My father seemed aware of the queen selection process. A deep frown appeared on his face.
“Because he’s stronger than me. King Faloon inherited the throne with his own strength, subdued the Stampede, annexed Cadonia, and even defeated the Dorsen Kingdom. Considering he defeated two of Dorsen’s Five Heavenly Kings simultaneously, there’s no doubt about his power. I always wanted to marry a man stronger than me, and King Faloon is ideal.”
This was also a lie. No matter how strong he was, I had no intention of being with a man known as the Mad King.
“He eats monster meat, torments his subordinates in the arena, and makes queens fight each other for the title. Are you sure?”
Hearing it again, King Faloon really sounded like a terrible man. Making women fight each other was excessively cruel.
However, I didn’t want to return to Vulcan. Going back meant being dragged into wars. Going to Dorsen would label me a traitor. Continuing as an adventurer would make it hard to escape from these entanglements. So, Faloon seemed like a good place to escape. They had a famous arena, and living by fighting there didn’t seem too bad.
I wanted to go to Faloon and wait for things to settle down. I had no interest in becoming the queen.
“Even so, I want to be with someone who matches my strength. Although I’m an S-rank adventurer, there are no men who can match me even among high-rank adventurers. If I don’t find someone, I’ll never get married. But King Faloon is a suitable match for me.”
My father tilted his head.
“…Were you always like this?”
Of course not. I didn’t think I’d marry just anyone strong.
“What are you saying, Father? I’ve always said I wanted to be with a man stronger than me.”
“Well, you did say that. But I didn’t think you were this unreasonable.”
As expected of Father, he understands me. But now, that doesn’t matter. I just want to avoid the complications of Vulcan or Dorsen.
I used to be interested in the Five Heavenly Kings, but now I don’t care.
“And… I take pride in being the strongest woman. I want to challenge the [Lightning Emperor] and the [Mad Princess], who are King Faloon’s queens.”
I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore, but I wanted Father to accept and leave. I wanted him to believe the story that his daughter was in love with strength and heading to Faloon.
“…Alright, I understand.”
My father nodded heavily.
Really? Did he accept such a story?
Even I was surprised.
“I’ll go to Faloon with you. I want to witness your way of life with my own eyes. I’ve also been interested in the country of Faloon.”
What? Together? No way! It’s a lie! I don’t want to be queen!
…Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I ended up traveling to Faloon with my father.
TLNOTE: While waiting for the next chapter , I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
- Btw, volume 2 English translation is finished
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
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