Master’s Smile

“Gugiiiiiiiiiiii!!!”

With a yell, the sharp blade swung and split the monster’s body in half with a single blow.

Neena, having done so, exhaled softly and looked at her surroundings.

“Kuh…. This might be a little bad.”

Neena’s estate had already been infiltrated by a number of monsters.

In normal times, the numerous knights of her faction would have been able to intercept an assault from such monsters.

However, only a few of them were currently present.

When she received word that monsters had suddenly appeared in the royal capital and were attacking the people, she immediately dispatched her personal knights.

As a result, only a tiny force of them remained at the estate.

But then, a chimera and other monsters started to swoop in.

Not only the few remaining knights, but also Neena, the princess, took up her sword and gallantly decided to join the fray.

Thanks to this, the non-combatants like the maids and others were successfully evacuated.

“Though, now is….”

Neena smiled relaxedly and looked at the people responsible for the evacuation.

“GUWOOOOOHHH!!!”

The chimera, which was the same monster that had attacked them back then, roared and attacked the people around its proximity.

Everyone who was holding a sword, slouched down, with no will to fight anymore.

Just as the chimera opened its big mouth to devour the princess, the girl finally moved.

“GAA…!?”

A flash.

With a single swing of her sword, the chimera’s body was cleanly cut in two.

The corpse then crumbled to the ground with a thud.

“…Troublesome.”

Standing there was Ritter, the girl with black bob-cut hair and drowsy eyes.

“Forgive me for putting you to work, even though you’re a patient.”

“…No worry.”

Ritter answered blankly as Neena approached and apologized.

The reason why the non-combatants were able to evacuate without issue was because of Ritter’s war effort.

With only a few knights and Neena remaining, sacrifices would have been unavoidable if there were several powerful monsters such as the chimera.

Thanks to her inhumane combat prowess, Ritter was able to completely overwhelm the monsters.

“Alright, Ritter should evacuate too. Leave the rest to me and the knights.”

“Okay.”

Neena was concerned about Ritter, who was still suffering from her fever, and decided to have her retreat with the maids.

Ritter was also not going to go through the trouble of exterminating the monsters when her master was not watching, so she obediently complied.

“No, I’ll have you to wait.”

She was about to leave the estate and go to her master’s location when a man’s voice was suddenly heard.

Neena looked toward the main gate with a gasp, yet Ritter, due to her fever and usual expression, stared blankly into the void.

Entering unreservedly through the main gate were Lintz and his close aide, Wissen the alchemist.

“…What is it, brother? The kingdom is currently in danger, so what brings you here?”

“…Should a brother not visit his sister?”

“We are not that close, aren’t we?”

Neena questioned him with a sharp glare, and Lintz replied with a wry smile.

However, they were not such close siblings.

“…I’ve received reports that the royal capital is crawling with monsters. I’m surprised you made it to my estate in one piece.”

“Indeed. Wissen is an excellent man.”

“Hou, is that…something to do with the fact that the monsters don’t attack the two of you, esteemed brother?”

Neena readied her sword and asked Lintz.

Though, she had already come to a conclusion.

This commotion was caused by her brother…Lintz.

As proof, the monsters that were violently chasing Neena and the knights did not even attack Lintz and Wissen, let alone look at them.

“…… Hmph! I don’t have to tell you the details, Neena.”

“Truly.”

Lintz snickered and drew his sword.

Then, as he began to fiercely charge towards Neena, he swung his sword at her.

“NUWOOOOOOOHHH!!!”

“Kuuh…!”

Neena reacted immediately and caught the sword.

Lintz pushed Neena’s sword harder and harder, wondering how she had this amount of strength.

“…….”

“Ihihihihi!”

Ritter did not go to Neena’s aid, but looked at Wissen, who was standing still and smiling eerily.

Unlike Master, she only thought of him as unpleasant.

“Neena! Hand me the throne!!”

“Don’t…jest with me, brother! Ritter won that duel, and it should have been decided that I would take it!”

The two of them yelled at each other as they locked swords.

Neena had a bright light in her eyes, while Lintz’s eyes were dark and cloudy.

“You…How much effort do you think I have put in so far to become the king!? Killing those nobles who stand in my way! Joining forces with “Iron Queen (Inicken)”! Poisoning the king! Finally! I was finally ready to be the king!”

“Wha-…!?”

Neena was astonished by his words.

Lintz, who was definitely not in his right state of mind, judging by his delirious appearance, blurted out all the things he had done so far that had dirtied his own hands.

Neena was aware that he had his hands on the nobles of her faction as well as the neutral ones, but she did not expect him to have something to do with the king as well.

“You! What have you done to the king!?”

“Hmph! He had been sitting on the throne for an excessively long time! A little bit of poison and that old man easily kicked the bucket!”

“BASTAAAAAAARD!!!”

Neena was enraged to learn that he had poisoned the king, who was also the father whom she respected.

She too, had never lacked respect for her brother, Lintz, no matter how much she hated him, but this time, that cloak was ripped off and she finally bared her anger.

The force of the swords had been pushing her back before, but she was now making a comeback.

“Guh!? Ghhhhhh…!!!”

“The likes of you are not qualified to be the king!!”

With a clunking sound, Neena yanked the sword out of Lintz’s hand.

She quickly moved out of the way before his sword soared through the air and pierced the ground.

She then swung her sword at Lintz’s arm, which was unprotected by the impact of his sword being struck away.

“GUGYAAAAAAAA!!!”

Lintz’s shriek echoed.

He was cut down by Neena, even though he had used not only a sword, but also his dominant arm.

Lintz tried to stop the blood spewing from his severed limb, yet it was still spilling out through the gaps between his fingers.

He staggered away and stood next to Wissen.

“N-NEENAAAAAA!!! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME, YOUR OWN BROTHEEEEER!!!”

Neena glared at him sharply, but her expression did not change.

The princess’s face was dignified, as if she were about to put an end to an enemy of the kingdom.

“I told you so, right~? Prince Lintz, who only goes to the Adventurers’ Guild when he feels like it, is no match for Princess Neena, who trains every day~ Ihihihihihi!!!”

“Gh-ghgghh…! Daaamn it…!!!”

“Say, Prince Lintz, you should have accepted my proposal from the start~ Well, it’s still not too late. Here, you might want to use this, right~…?”

Wissen exclaimed and took out a small vial filled from his white coat.

The black liquid inside it was definitely something that will not have any positive effects on the body.

And that thing was swung back and forth by Wissen in front of Lintz’s eyes.

“E-Even so…I still…!!!”

“Do you want to be the king with your own power? Do you want to win against Princess Neena?”

Wissen accurately guessed what Lintz was thinking.

But knowing this, he scoffed.

“But you can’t do that, right~!? Prince Lintz doesn’t have the power! It’s noooot enough at all! So~… you should be using this right~…?”

“Uh-aah….”

Lintz dazedly reached for the vial in front of him.

His eyes were vacant, and he didn’t seem to be able to make clear judgments.

“Kuh!! What are you trying to do!? Ritter! Get him-…!?”

Neena immediately tried to give Ritter instructions, but as soon as she saw her, she choked on her words.

Ritter’s expression was a mixture of impatience and fear which the princess had never seen before.

“T-That’s….”

Ritter only muttered a few words.

Neena wanted to ask her if she knew anything about it, but Lintz was quicker to move before she could.

Lintz grabbed the vial from Wissen.

“I…I will be the king!!”

After declaring so, he opened the lid of the vial and swallowed down the black liquid that had been placed inside.

And the effect was immediate.

“Gghh…!? GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

Dropping the vial to the ground, Lintz began to scream in agony.

Bending his body into a crouch and shaking his body furiously, his back began jutting out here and there.

Such a phenomenon would not have happened for a normal human being.

Lintz, Neena’s blood-related brother, was obviously a genuine human being, so this strange phenomenon was probably due to the black liquid.

“OGEEEEEEEE!!!”

The lumps that jutted out were not limited to his back.

It moved to his abdomen, legs, arms, and even his face.

Lintz’s body was changing more and more along with it.

His physique, which had never been large, was currently growing in size.

No, it was not growth at all, but rather, a transformation into a grotesque beast.

“I-Impossible….”

Neena looked up at Lintz with a stunned expression.

His body had grown so huge that Neena had to look up at him.

And he,

was no longer a human.