The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 26: Astrid Was Angry

The ground collapsed beneath them, and they began tumbling down the mountainside, mixed in with large rocks and debris.

The steeper the slope became, the faster they rolled, with the rocks crashing down alongside them.

All three of them knew that even a single collision with one of those rocks would leave them gravely injured.

And at the end of it, a cliff came into view. If they rolled all the way to that edge and fell, the outcome was obvious. Astrid frantically wracked her brain.

She had to find a way out of this—a way to stop their fall, somehow, some way—

She found it.

“Your Highness, hold onto my waist tightly! And, Akemilla! Draw your swords!”

Even as she shouted, Astrid pulled out the greatsword she had been carrying on her back before Leopold could wrap his arms around her waist.

For an ordinary person, this kind of feat would be impossible. But Astrid had something she could rely on—her monstrous strength, which had easily bested even Varian. That overwhelming power that far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

After confirming that Leopold had wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and that Akemilla had drawn her dual swords, Astrid drove her greatsword into the ground with all her might.

—CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRUNCH!

The greatsword sank deeply into the ground, splitting it apart with a thunderous noise. As the ground cracked open, their speed began to slow.

Seeing this, Akemilla also slammed her dual swords into the ground with all her strength. Her sliding speed gradually slowed, and finally, the three of them managed to stop right at the edge of the cliff.

It was impossible to tell how far they had fallen or exactly where they were.

However, since they had fallen in a straight line through the path that the cadets had spent all morning climbing, it was clear that they were now quite a distance away from the checkpoint.

“Cadet Astrid, what do you think that monster was?”

Astrid turned her gaze toward Akemilla. Even in this situation, as they walked toward the checkpoint, Akemilla was grinning, as if she found something amusing.

It was hard to tell what was so enjoyable. But more than that, Astrid was baffled as to why she was being asked this question.

“I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”

“Oh my, don’t you northerners live face-to-face with barbarians and monsters all the time? I thought you’d be well-informed.”

‘So, in other words, since you’re always fighting them, you should know, right…’

She wasn’t entirely wrong. The real Astrid might have known. But this Astrid wasn’t the real one. She had only lived in the north for six months, and even then, she had stayed in the mansion the whole time. She knew next to nothing about monsters.

“I don’t know. Besides, I doubt knowing what it is would be helpful right now.”

“Is that so? I think identifying the monster’s nature is crucial, though. Cadet Leopold, what do you think?”

At some point, Akemilla had moved to walk right beside Leopold. Astrid was behind them, so from above, they would form a triangular formation.

Akemilla’s sweet, lilting voice reached Leopold, who was holding his rapier at the ready. He remained silent for a moment.

“…It’s important. If we know what kind of monster it is, it’s easier to figure out how to deal with it.”

“Exactly.”

As if she had been waiting for that response, Akemilla’s sly gaze shifted to Astrid.

‘See? I’m right, aren’t I?’ Her eyes seemed to say it outright.

That gaze made Astrid’s irritation flare up.

‘We’re not even fighting, so what’s with this?’

“There was probably a mistake on the academy’s end. They said only small to mid-sized monsters would appear, so no one expected something as large as that.”

“…Cadet Akemilla.”

Astrid, who had been enduring Akemilla’s remarks, finally spoke up. She had reached her limit. She desperately wanted to shut that chattering mouth.

This was no time for idle chatter. They should be focusing on finding the checkpoint and regrouping with their squad. If Akemilla’s loud voice drew in other monsters, it would only make things worse—

But what came out of her mouth was,

“Shut up.”

“…What did you just say?”

The smile vanished from Akemilla’s face. Her gaze, which had been fixed on Astrid, grew sharp and venomous. But Astrid didn’t back down and glared right back.

‘You’re the one who started this.’

It was a matter of pride for Astrid as well, so she had no intention of backing down.

“Is this really the time for the two of you to fight?”

“…I’m disappointed in myself for being baited like this. I was just trying to think about how to deal with the situation, that’s all.”

“For something like that, you’re awfully noisy. Do you think with your mouth?”

“Astrid!”

Leopold’s angry shout finally made Astrid close her mouth. She was seething.

‘I’m the one who saved you. You were clinging to my waist just a moment ago…’

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what annoyed her, but something about it irked her deeply. Astrid vented her frustration by kicking a nearby rock, which crumbled to pieces, and quietly resumed walking.

“Astrid, doesn’t this place look familiar?”

‘So now you’re not even calling me squad leader? What happened to formal speech?’

With a sullen look, Astrid glanced at Leopold. He pointed at their surroundings with his finger.

“It looks like the spot where we had lunch earlier.”

Looking around, it did seem familiar. Astrid recognized it too. The traces of the fire and the deer bones left behind were all still there.

“Then we should climb up from there. Let’s get moving.”

“Right.”

They couldn’t afford to waste any more time. They’d already lost a lot of it, and there was no guarantee that the checkpoint was safe.

Just as Astrid and Leopold were about to start walking, a thud sounded behind them.

When they turned around, they saw Akemilla sitting on the ground, having dropped her dual swords and gear.

“Let’s rest a bit…!”

Her face was drenched in sweat, clearly showing how exhausted she was. But wasting time here was unacceptable. Astrid was about to tell her to get up, but Leopold sighed.

“Five minutes. We’ll rest for five minutes. Astrid, you should rest too.”

Unbelievable.

They had no time to waste, but knowing her own stamina was different from normal people’s, Astrid reluctantly sat next to Leopold.

“Lady Akemilla, you should exercise more regularly.”

She just had to say it.

Astrid Had to Say It

She had to get it off her chest.

“Alright, let’s get moving…”

It had been well over five minutes.

Just as Astrid, who had been waiting for five minutes that felt like fifty, finally rose to her feet, Akemilla suddenly spoke up, as if something had just occurred to her.

“Your Highness Leopold, I had a little chat with Cadet Astrid earlier. She mentioned that her engagement with Your Highness has not been officially confirmed yet. Is that true for you as well?”

The atmosphere instantly turned icy cold.

Leopold’s face hardened. He glanced briefly at Astrid before turning his gaze back to Akemilla.

A quiet, steady breath.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, fixing his eyes calmly on Akemilla.

“That’s not something Lady Uraid needs to know. Nor do I have any obligation to explain it to you.”

The air around Leopold grew frigid in an instant.

No matter how wealthy the Uraid family was, nor how much they had contributed to Einthafen’s founding and funded more than 50% of the wartime expenses, Akemilla’s interference was far beyond acceptable boundaries. Her words could even be considered an insult to the royal family.

“Oh my, is that so? My apologies, Your Highness. However, as someone who’s never had such an opportunity, I’d like to make a request.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of embarrassment on her face.

This brazenness was no doubt a trait she’d inherited from her parents. It aligned perfectly with her belief that money was the ultimate power, surpassing authority or rank.

“…What’s your request?”

“Since the engagement isn’t confirmed, I’d like to request a chance for myself, Akemilla Uraid, to become Your Highness’s bride as well.”

Silence fell again.

In the empty clearing, where no sounds of birds or insects could be heard, only the faint thudding noise from somewhere far away echoed. But none of the three paid any attention to it.

After a long moment, it was Leopold who broke the silence.

“…This is not a conversation to be had here. Matters of royal marriage are not to be discussed in a place like this. If you’re sufficiently rested, let’s move. We have no idea what’s happening out there.”

Without waiting for a reply, Leopold started walking. Akemilla followed, chattering away as she kept pace with him.

Watching them, Astrid bit her lip.

What was this?

Why did these kinds of conversations keep coming up during training?

Was she the one being strange for thinking it was inappropriate to discuss such things in front of the person directly involved? Or was Akemilla the one being rude?

And—

She couldn’t understand Leopold’s ambiguous response either.

As they neared the checkpoint, loud thudding sounds echoed continuously.

It didn’t sound good.

It was the kind of sound that came when something large was crashing into something else.

A sense of foreboding weighed down on the three of them.

“Hurry, run!”

Thanks to their brief rest, their bodies felt refreshed, but their minds did not. Astrid, feeling the worst she had in a long time, chased after Leopold, who was leading the way, and the three of them rushed into the checkpoint.

“Squad Leader, you’re safe!”

“Astridddd!”

“Oh my, are you hurt anywhere?!”

As soon as they entered the checkpoint, Akemilla ran toward her squad, and Astrid and Leopold immediately checked to see if any of their squad members were injured.

“No one’s hurt, but that thing…”

At the entrance of the checkpoint, an abnormal sight caught everyone’s attention. The space itself seemed distorted.

Up above, the sky had a large, jagged crack running through it, and the constant thudding sound echoed from beyond it.

“That monster from earlier seems to be trying to break the checkpoint’s barrier.”

It was Astein, ever composed.

With Astrid, Leopold, and Akemilla temporarily missing, the eight remaining cadets had sought refuge in the checkpoint, believing it to be a safe haven where monsters couldn’t enter. They’d felt relieved.

But that relief was short-lived.

The repeated crashing sound and the sight of the distorted space soon made them realize that the monster was attempting to shatter the barrier.

“And that’s how we ended up like this.”

But it looked like the barrier’s limit had been reached.

If it shattered, there would be no choice but to fight. Since no rescue had come from the academy despite the extended wait, they figured that no one outside knew about their situation. They resolved to fight like true knights if it came to that.

It was at that moment that Astrid, Leopold, and Akemilla returned.

As Astein explained the situation, the constant crashing sound continued. The cracks grew larger, and it became increasingly clear that the barrier would break at any moment.

Astrid, gripping her greatsword, stepped forward.

Her mood had been sour since earlier.

She was frustrated. She needed something to vent on.

‘Ah, I’m so annoyed. Really, I’m going to lose it.’

—BOOM!

With a deafening explosion, the barrier shattered, revealing the monster.

It roared ferociously, as if venting its rage at the humans who had forced it to spend so much effort breaking the barrier. It charged straight at Astrid.

‘No, he could have just given a clear answer, yes or no.’

Leopold’s evasive response echoed in her mind.

—THUD!

Astrid’s two hands gripped the pair of long, sharp fangs that jutted from the monster’s mouth.

Her feet slid back across the ground, leaving long drag marks as she braced against the monster’s momentum.

‘If it’s yes, say yes. If it’s no, say no. What’s with “this isn’t the place”?’

Still gripping the monster’s fangs, Astrid ground her teeth together, her muscles straining as she began to push it back.

One step. Then another.

She’d been pushed back at first, but now she was forcing the monster to retreat.

With a loud, guttural shout, she snapped the two fangs in half, sending the monster staggering backward.

‘This has nothing to do with him. Akemilla’s the problem. Does she think I’m some pushover?’

The monster shook its head and charged again.

Astrid, holding her greatsword, stepped forward.

‘Next time, I’ll say it properly. Tell them to act with some respect. Didn’t their parents teach them manners?’

Astrid’s face was filled with irritation.

Around the corpse of the fallen monster, the cadets gathered, peeking and observing. At that moment, Eranya approached Astrid.

“…Hey, Astrid, is something bothering you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s nothing to be upset about. This is just how my face always looks.”

With that, Astrid hoisted her greatsword back onto her back and walked toward a nearby bench.

As she reached it, she kicked a stone next to it, shattering it into pieces, before plopping down on the bench. Watching her, Eranya murmured quietly to herself.

“…Her face looks more than irritated—it’s full of fury. Isn’t something definitely going on with her…?”

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