Chapter: 15
―Whoooosh!
In places with lots of water, it was naturally advantageous for Alouze.
As if to prove that obvious statement, the waves crashing against the shore surged high, as though they had collided with some invisible wall.
“I’ll stop the water!”
Once again, as her hands spread out, the ferocious waves that had been wreaking havoc along the coast were subdued, reduced to mere ripples.
“…Ah.”
Dielo muttered a short, impressed sound.
Yes, Crua was Alouze.
Alouze, who could manipulate water freely.
Because of that, she was a formidable presence along this coastline.
…Yet precisely because of that, she was Alouze—the kind of person who didn’t need to risk her life in the center of Argenta’s naval battlefield.
If her heart truly belonged to Alouze, that’s how it would be.
But she willingly leapt into the midst of battle for Argenta.
The seawater trickled down her deep purple hair tips like rain, sparkling in the sunlight.
―Splat!
The surrounding water responded to her blue magic, settling down.
―Splash!
The area flashed repeatedly with her magical energy.
Once the waves stopped advancing, the situation on the battlefield shifted dramatically in an instant.
“Dielo!”
Now was the time to run out. They had to deal with the monsters.
But Dielo couldn’t tear his eyes away from Crua Alouze.
Argenta, who controlled fire.
For them, water was terrifying, and the sea was essentially a realm of death.
But not now.
For the first time, Dielo saw the sea glitter.
Not a sea of death stained with the blood of monsters and humans, but a sparkling sea.
At this moment, the sea, the water, she—everything—shone brilliantly before him.
Before departing for the battlefield.
I was once again practicing the ability to control water.
To become even slightly more accustomed to it.
―Splash!
The more I used the ability, the less difficult it became to manipulate water.
In the original story, there was no mention of Crua Alouze having such exceptional water manipulation skills.
As far as I knew, the original Crua Alouze struggled even with a teacup.
Clearly, my possession had altered her abilities.
And that was a good thing for me.
―Splash!
I shaped the water in my canteen into a sharp, sword-like form and then let it collapse again.
It was incredible how the water around me moved just from imagining it.
Everything felt as natural as breathing.
“The preparations are complete. Orders to advance.”
At that moment, the commander approached and bowed.
With Dielo absent from the mansion, I was the only one able to issue deployment orders.
I looked around at the Argenta knights.
As an elite unit, they were all composed of Argenta from the fourth floor.
“If they move between the fourth floor and here, you can trust them.”
That’s what Dielo had said.
By his casual remark, it meant that anyone moving through the mansion’s fourth floor knew I was the fake Pero.
So there were no spies in this mansion?
And the servants moving between floors had no contact with those on the third floor or below?
What if the plan leaked?
…That was what I thought until now.
“….”
I stared at the knight bowing in front of me.
He, too, was an Argenta of the fourth floor.
What I realized while preparing for this deployment was that the fourth-floor Argenta were tighter-lipped than I had imagined.
No wonder Dielo trusted them.
Unlike them, the servants on the third floor or below, who didn’t know I had a contractual marriage, treated me as if I barely existed.
‘Excuse me? You’ll personally go to the battlefield?’
But immediately after I announced I would go myself, the servants’ attitudes gradually shifted.
It didn’t matter which floor they were on.
In less than half a day, the change was radical enough that they became courteous and kind to me.
As a result, the expressions of the servants on the third floor and below, who saw us off to the battlefield, were fairly friendly.
It was remarkable.
I turned to glance at the knights neatly lined up behind me.
Since they were all fourth-floor members, I could use Alouze’s abilities here without drawing unwanted attention from other families.
“All troops, advance to the Fourth Sector!”
I raised my sword to signal the knights waiting for my orders.
It was a heavy sword, one I had no intention of using, but it was perfect for setting the atmosphere before battle.
“Waaaaah!”
―Hee-hin!
I mounted my horse at the front, and a multitude of knights followed, heading toward the Fourth Sector.
Under normal circumstances, less than half this number would have gone.
‘Assign personnel to guard me as well.’
But with me participating in the battle, the numbers increased dramatically.
In another family, the ladies of the house appearing in battle would have caused panic.
But here, the Argentas were the protectors of the “Infinite Sea,” and I was the only Alouze capable of manipulating water.
A decisive key that could instantly control the battlefield.
The knights, realizing this, were intrigued.
Yet they didn’t immediately consent to my participation.
Perhaps they thought my water-control skills were weak.
‘…The orders I received from the Lord are to prioritize the Lady’s safety above all else.’
They seemed concerned for my safety.
I hadn’t expected any less opposition.
I preemptively blocked their objections with a prepared response.
‘The center of Argenta is not me but Dielo Argenta, the Lord. I’m concerned that even though he personally went to battle, he still requested support troops.’
When asking, ask boldly.
I raised my head and looked directly at the knights.
‘If this deployment proves unnecessary, it will end as a careless lady moving troops. But if Dielo is in danger, Argenta will pay a high price.’
Hearing that, the knights finally agreed to a deployment centered around me.
“Let’s go!”
Following the lead knight, the multitude of knights advanced.
‘Redius Argenta must not die.’
This was why I insisted on participating in this deployment.
Redius Argenta was Dielo’s uncle, and now that all other members of the Argenta main family were dead, he was Dielo’s only living relative.
In other words, he was a major combat asset who inherited the Argenta’s powers.
In the upcoming battle with Alouze, he, along with the soon-to-arrive Pero, would form Argenta’s main force.
In the original story, Redius Argenta goes berserk and dies in this incident, plunging Argenta into crisis.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
“Hi-yah! Ha!”
My anxious heart spurred the horse faster.
Thankfully, Crua Alouze’s body remembered more than just water manipulation.
She seemed skilled in horseback riding as well; she had only been slightly awkward at first, then quickly adapted to running fast.
Thanks to the speed, the scenery around us blurred into lines.
During that, I calculated the situation briefly.
‘There’s no time.’
In the original story, Redius Argenta dies just before Pero arrives.
Between the wedding, deceiving Alouze, and adapting to Argenta’s affairs, I almost missed something important.
The real Pero would arrive two months after the wedding.
Redius Argenta was in danger now, so there wasn’t much time until Pero’s arrival.
In the original, narrated from a maid’s perspective, both Crua and the real Pero were extras—but I remembered the real Pero’s timing clearly.
Because the real Pero’s personality was no joke.
[Apparently, a scathing critic? Enjoys causing others pain. Better to work under Crua Alouze. Also incredibly picky.]
That was what the servants said in the original story, so that was enough.
I had no intention of facing that Pero.
‘I need to hurry and get ready to leave.’
Of course, I couldn’t leave Argenta until I completely handled Alouze, but at least I could prepare for leaving while still the lady of the house.
However, that was only after safely returning from this battle.
I knew that my abilities grew stronger near their source.
That gave me confidence.
But thinking about using them in the vast coastline, especially where monsters appeared, filled me with anxiety.
Back at the mansion, I had only experimented with moving the water of a huge bath freely.
I hadn’t even taken a breath.
Yet if this was my level, how powerful must Alouze’s water manipulation truly be?
Would I really be useful on the battlefield?
Even practicing my abilities intermittently, I couldn’t gain confidence easily.
But.
―Sshhhh…!
The farther the sea came into view, the more I felt it.
My blood boiled.
Alouze’s blood reacted to the water.
On the water, Alouze became invincible.
“…!”
A massive wave advanced toward Argenta.
I also saw Dielo’s blue eyes staring at me, startled, as if surprised I had come.
Just like the sea, they were that color.
―Splat!
As the water responded, Alouze’s blood condensed blue energy in my hands.
I swung it, bending the surrounding waves.
“…Crua!”
I heard Dielo’s surprised shout.
But having leapt into the battlefield, I couldn’t look back.
―Kraaah!
Even when grotesque monsters, half fish and half human, approached, I felt no fear.
Strangely enough, I didn’t.
It must have been the confidence transmitted through Alouze’s blood.
“!”
I swung my hands once more.
