NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1.2
Stage 1-1. A New Life Begins Here
At the very edge of the royal capital. A filthy district called Woshua, so isolated from the capital that it might as well be another world.
Drugs, human trafficking, underground betting matches.
A rotten city that I despise above all else.
Yet, here I am, in the underground arena of this city, where the darkness of the capital is concentrated.
“Get him! Kill him!”
“Right there! Stab him! Cut him down!”
The jeers, devoid of any morality, echo above me.
In front of me stands a man, towering at two meters.
A horned helmet. A massive axe. Thick iron armor.
This is my opponent in this match.
“You’re on a winning streak, but don’t get cocky, little girl.”
The man, snorting heavily, was the top-ranked fighter in the arena until I came along.
He clearly hates that a woman like me overtook him.
He probably forced this match-up.
“…Enough talk. Come at me already.”
I thought I heard the sound of a blood vessel bursting.
The man, easily provoked, swings his axe with brute force.
An attack driven by anger, foolish and reckless.
He’s likely relied on sheer strength all his life.
That might have worked against opponents without skill.
But I am different.
“—[Sword Swing Madness]”
“…Huh?”
The force you swing with always returns to you.
After dodging his axe, I push his arm to add momentum.
The uncontrolled axe easily slices through the man’s own arm.
“Gaahhh!?”
“…Go quietly in the end.”
“Nggh! Ohh… oooh…”
I silence the man’s screams of pain by driving my sword into his mouth.
The blade pierces through his throat, and the floor is stained with blood.
After wiping the blood from my beloved sword and sheathing it, I leave the still-thrumming arena, where the manager is waiting at the entrance.
“Hey, Chris. You’ve got a visitor.”
“…I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
“Just come along! Or I’ll ban you from this place!”
“…Understood.”
His words are rough. But I have no choice but to comply.
Having lost my former glory, my status, this is the only place I can live now—killing day after day, staining my sword with blood.
It’s ironic.
The evil I hate so much is now what keeps me alive.
Following the manager, I’m led to a VIP room.
The room is garishly decorated, a clear display of wealth. And seated in the leather chair at its center is…
“A child?”
“Chris! Watch your language!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be offended by something like that. Manager, could you leave us alone for a moment?”
“Y-Yes, of course! I’ll make sure no one disturbs you, so please, take your time… Hehe… Well then…”
The manager pushes me into the room and scurries out.
…I’ve never seen him act so subservient.
Could this boy really be of such high status?
When I look at him, he sighs, somewhat exasperated.
“Idiot. As if I’d start anything in a place like this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That man thought I came here to buy you for pleasure, former Holy Knight Commander Chris Ragnika.”
“…!?”
Hearing that long-forgotten title shocks me.
He knows so much, even though it’s been years since I held that position.
The boy gestures for me to sit and then sinks deeply into his chair.
“I am Ouga Vellet, the eldest son of Duke Vellet.”
“What!? Is that true!?”
“Yes. As proof, here’s a dagger engraved with the family crest.”
He shows me a dagger bearing the Velet family crest, one I remember well.
Falsifying a noble’s crest is a grave crime. No child would dare use a counterfeit.
And if he’s from the Velet family, it makes sense that they could find me.
Their family is known for their intelligence network, primarily dealing with diplomacy.
Using that intelligence, someone like me would be easy to locate.
Though I doubt many would bother with a woman as fallen as I am.
“So, what does the Velet family want with me? I’m not interested. I despise you nobles. You can guess why, can’t you?”
“Of course. It was the nobles who condemned you and had you expelled from the Holy Knights.”
“That’s right. Corrupt nobles who hid their crimes and lined their own pockets!”
As the leader of the Holy Knights, I brought justice to the wicked.
I believed it was the path to happiness and peace for the people.
When I discovered evidence of human trafficking, I gathered proof and presented it to the king, urging him to arrest the nobles involved.
I trusted the king to make the right decision.
I believed that another evil would be eradicated from the kingdom…!
But instead, I was the one cast out.
The evidence was hidden, the human trafficking dismissed as mere personnel loans, and I was framed as a criminal who had made false reports to cover everything up.
Stripped of my position and home, I ended up here in the arena.
The swordsmanship I honed for justice is now used for evil’s gain, just to earn my daily bread… What a humiliating life…!
But I can’t survive any other way. The disgrace eats away at my soul.
“I’ve looked into your story and know what happened. But at the time, the head of the Velet family—my father—was on a diplomatic mission. If he had been there, you wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
“Hmph, so what? Is that supposed to comfort me? It’s too late now. I’m just a foolish Chris…”
“…Frankly, I’m disappointed in you, Chris.”
…What?
What did he just say…? Disappointed, in me…?
I slam my clenched fist onto the table and glare at him.
But he doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even look away, despite the table cracking and splinters flying everywhere.
He just sighs again.
“You’re letting your emotions control your strength. Where’s the pride you had as a Holy Knight?”
“…Shut up! I’m no longer a Holy Knight—”
“—I admired you when you were.”
“――”
“You encouraged your comrades, never faltering before the Demon Lord’s army. I respected Chris Ragnika, who never let her head hang low.”
“…Ah… Ahh… Stop…”
Don’t talk about me like that with such bright words.
The person you’re talking about is the past me. The one I’ve already given up on and abandoned.
I left that part of me behind to cope with the miserable person I am now.
“I… I can’t go back…! Chris Ragnika is dead…!”
“Then, you can start over.”
“…What?”
“If you’ve died, if you’ve thrown everything away, that means you can begin again.”
His warm hand touches my cheek.
He lifts my downcast face up towards him.
“Come with me. I’ll create a place where your sense of justice can shine again.”
Tears begin to stream down my cheeks.
I can’t stop them. They wash away the filth inside me.
It’s pathetic and miserable, but I can’t stop crying.
He gently wipes away my tears and takes both my hands in his.
“Stand by my side and let me see that brilliance again, my knight, Chris Ragnika.”
In that moment, my life rekindles. My heart trembles with joy.
Instinctively, I understood. My loyalty wasn’t to the kingdom, but to him.
“—I swear to wield my sword for you, Ouga-sama.”