Strongest Survival by Otome Game’s Heroine (LN)

Epilogue

「Count Lester…… quite some times has passed. When do you think we will receive the news from them?」

「It’s as you say, your majesty……」

At Claydale Kingdom, inside the king’s office, the king Reinhard Fon Claydale asked that question to the head of royal court sorcerers, Count Ignas Do Lester who came to give a report. Inside his heart Ignas thought that it was even possible that the group had been annihilated after this long without any news, even so he told Reinhard exactly what he wanted to hear.

「If things go well, then it will be soon……that is my best estimate. Even at the latest it won’t take two weeks.」

Past that time, the possibility of annihilation would have to be seriously considered.

Until now the royal family had always sent their youths to obtain “Gift”each generation and all of them always returned back alive despite the damages to the royal guards. Taking that into consideration, the possibility of annihilation was low, but the problem was how this task was usually done when the youths of the royal family had come of age. But this time the members of the royal family that were sent were still minor who hadn’t even entered the academy.

Furthermore the noble faction was gaining strength and there was a concern that they would get in the way, so the number of the knights accompanying them had also gotten limited, even so they had no choice but continuing with the dungeon exploration.

That was just how much the unifying force of the royal family had decreased. The nobles who received aid from neighboring country increased their influence and the internal state of the country was getting unstable. The royal family faction wanted the crown prince to marry his fiancées, the daughters of the influential nobles within the country as quickly as possible, so they could draw in the fence sitting neutral faction.

Ignas was the head of royal court sorcerers, so he belonged to the royal family faction, but he wasn’t as worried as the king about the fate of the dungeon exploration group, because he thought that even if the group was annihilated, they could just set up the still very young second prince as the crown prince despite how troublesome it would be.

「My daughter Carla is also participating. She is normally useless but, when it comes to sorcery she is in the same level of a royal court sorcerer. She will surely answer your majesty’s expectation.」

The king summoned Ignas and consulted him like this was also because Ignas had sent his own child into the dungeon.

Originally the king should express this kind of whining to his two queens instead of a retainer, but the first queen who was formerly a daughter from viscount house had collapsed from worry after learning the truth of the dungeon exploration, while the second queen had no interest with her own daughter from the start.

「I see……it’s true that young Carla is very brilliant.」

It was small, but Reinhard smiled in relief from Ignas’s words.

Reinhard himself also didn’t have any other choice for the matter this time. It wasn’t his wish to expose children to danger. Ignas also smiled in respond to the king’s words, but inside he was cursing venomously.

(……I hope she would just die there, that accursed “death god”.)

He wanted to vomit just from calling that thing as his daughter. He always boasted about his daughter’s brilliance when in the presence of the king, but he would pray for the death of his daughter when behind closed door.

The demonic child Carla who slaughtered two of his three talented sons and many of his house’s servants.

Even now hatred would overwhelm his heart when recalling that time, but at that time Carla still had more value alive rather than dead.

Although to him everybody was just pawn for the sake of boosting the fame of Lester House, there was a risk that the name of Lester House would be dragged through mud after losing the majority of his sons. In the situation where he had lost two of his sons, he couldn’t also lose the pawn that had become the crown prince’s fiancée, and Carla at that time was also still someone who he could kill anytime he liked.

Carla who obtained all elements through Ignas’s experiment was a powerful sorcerer, but the side effect from the experiment had given her a body that could shut down anytime. The healers had even said that she wouldn’t be able to live until twenty.

It didn’t matter when she died as long as the fact remained that a queen had come from Lester House. Ignas thought that he would only need to bear with Carla’s presence for ten-odd years at the longest, but the growing speed of Carla’s mana surpassed the boundary of Ignas’s understanding.

Was it possible for a girl who was still five or six years old to keep going into a dangerous place like dungeon repeatedly while even adult adventurers often died there?

The city with a dungeon in it whose management was entrusted to Lester House by the royal family was known as a gathering place for adventurers who were confident with their own skill, but the report of adventurer’s death there increased since Carla started going into dungeon. There was a high possibility that Carla was involved with their death.

He never wanted to see his daughter’s face ever again but, her magic power value and overall combat strength would have risen up every time he investigated her. When Ignas finally felt a sense of danger and tried to assassinate her, her strength was already beyond the capability of the average assassin to take care of.

There was also the bad timing of how the northern assassin guild branch was rumored to be destroyed. A lot of assassins left the capital in order to fill in the hole that was left by that destruction, leaving nobody left who could defeat Carla. He even heard the uncertain rumor that the assassins who left also got the table turned on them by the existence that destroyed the assassin guild branch and got called as “Ash Crowned Princess”.

He felt like there would be no problem even if the whole group got annihilated as long as Carla died with them, even so the words that he spoke at the outside didn’t give any hint of his true feeling at all.

「I have also dispatched several excellent royal court sorcerers to go with them. His highness the crown prince and her highness the princess will surely return safely.」

Actually the royal court sorcerers he dispatched to the group were just second son or daughter of neutral nobles who weren’t involved with the noble faction. It wouldn’t bother him even if they died, but there was no need for him to say that to the king.

「I see. It will be great if the fiancées and the knights can also return back safely……」

.

「Everyone was alright. Though I don’t know if that’s still the case even now.」

.

「「──!?」」

Reinhard and Ignas lifted up their face in surprise from that voice that suddenly resounded inside the room. The two bodyguard maids who were also inside the room and stayed quiet so to not disturb the conversation immediately moved in respond.

「Who’s there-!?」

The bodyguard maid with heavy knight skill set moved in front of Reinhard to shield him, while the bodyguard maid with scout skill set sensed the presence of the intruder and leaped with a dagger in hand.

「W-wait!」

But Ignas who heard that voice hurriedly stopped the maid.

「Gih──」

But he was slightly late. The bodyguard maid who leaped to attack was frozen into an ice statue.

While everyone’s face turned white from the extreme coldness and tremendous mana, a sickly looking black haired girl in white dress appeared from behind that ice statue and smiled.

「That was dangerous. She might hurt someone if it was someone else than me.」

「──Carla!」

How long had she been here? How did she enter outside? Carla ignored her father who called her name and performed a lady’s bow toward the king Reinhard.

「Carla Lester, here to report that I have returned back ahead of everyone else.」

There was no way the outrageous action she just took could be forgiven even if she was a fiancée of the crown prince or the daughter of the head of the royal court sorcerers. But, the immense mana she was radiating and her violent aura sent a chill that gnawed until deep inside the bones of everyone inside the room. It made them hesitated to even call for the knights.

Even so there should be knights and butlers standing by outside the office, but they hadn’t done anything at all. Perhaps Carla had done something to them beforehand.

「What’s the meaning of this Carla! How dare you use sorcery in this──」

「Dear father, please don’t cause such ruckus in the presence of his majesty.」

「You little-!」

「Wait, Count Lester.」

Reinhard stopped the seething conversation that wasn’t suitable at all to be held between a father and daughter. He looked at the frozen ice statue with a pained look before turning his gaze toward Carla.

「……First I congratulate your safe return, Lady Carla. ……However, tell me the reason why you killed this maid.」

「She isn’t dead you know? Not yet anyway.」

Carla waved her hand. Then the ice on the frozen maid melted and she fell down on the floor.

「Count Lester, treat her. I shall listen to your daughter’s report.」

「As your majesty command……」

Ignas stood up to apply healing sorcery to the bodyguard maid who was barely hanging on life. Even so he kept glaring angrily at Carla, and yet she only smiled thinly without paying attention to him.

「Just now you said that you returned. Can I take it to mean that Ervan and Elena’s dungeon exploration has also finished?」

「Yes, indeed. I went out of the dungeon ahead of them but, his highness too will surely come out before long.」

「And……what do you mean that you don’t know about their current condition?」

「Yes. I had finished my business down there, so I had no reason to stay any longer there. Everyone else won’t be in any danger if they are lucky.」

Carla’s smile didn’t change even in front of the glaring gaze that the king himself sent at her.

「Carla! You little, how dare you speak like that about his highness toward his majesty! It’s your duty as a subject to put your life on the line to protect his highness!」

「How astonishing. I never expected to hear such “humane” words from you dear father of all people.」

Carla looked toward Ignas who interrupted the conversation once more as though she was looking at a bug.

「You, accursed god of death-」

「I’m fathered by an inhuman man after all, so it’s only fitting. And, what are you going to do about it?」

「You impudent──!」

「Stop!!」

Reinhard sharply rebuked the parent and daughter who were starting their quarrel once more.

「Lady Carla……you just left the dungeon not long ago while the others still haven’t come out yet, and yet you are here.」

「──tsu!」

Ignas guessed what Reinhard was trying to say and looked toward him.

「Can I see it as you having been successful in “obtaining” it?」

「Yes, your majesty.」

Everyone’s gaze gathered on Carla when she replied like that. Her pale lips formed those “words”.

.

「──Soul Thorn──」

.

Instantly, Carla’s skin that was white like wax became covered with black thorns. Tremendous mana radiated out from there.

Infinite mana in exchange of the user’s life──Ignas’s eyes widened when he “saw” that power. Sweat trickled down his forehead.

「Should we have a change of head of Lester House right here, dear father?」

「…………You monster」

There was nobody there who could fight Carla and win. Far from that, it was unknown how many victims there would be even if all the knights in the palace gave it a try.

Carla would surely die if even just a single hit landed on her. But even if she was threatened with that fact, someone who sought power even if it cost them their life would never beg for their life. There was no way anyone would test how many hundreds of people would have to be sacrificed just to land that one hit.

If Carla got serious, it could be easily imagined that she would drag the majority of the palace with her to her death.

「……What do you want?」

They wouldn’t still be alive if that was her intention from the beginning. Reinhard understood that Carla’s outrageous action before this was to display that power to them, so he asked her. Carla turned her gaze toward him.

「Yes, your majesty. I wish to make a deal.」

「A deal……you say?」

「I’ll use this power to protect Er-sama. And if you have enemies then I’ll kill them.」

「……In return, you want us to overlook your outrageousness to some degree?」

「As expected from your majesty, you are very understanding unlike this inhuman father. It will only be for as long as my life still hold but, I will put Er-sama into a treasure chest where I shall cherish and keep him safe.」

It was an absurd behavior. A demand that placed everyone as her hostage.

「……Very well.」

「Your majesty!?」

But, if he thought about the content of the deal, there was no benefit in rejecting it. Reinhard had no other choice but to accept.

「You can go rest for now. I shall send a messenger to you later after my son return and we can talk more about this.」

「Yes your majesty. I shall look forward to it.」

Carla smiled sweetly. She pinched the bottom of her dress and curtsied toward everyone there who couldn’t make any movement at all. Then she vanished from that place. Most likely she was using space teleportation, an advanced sorcery that she forcefully activated using her vast mana.

What was left behind was only the trace of her outrageous act and the chilling cold.

Ignas gritted his teeth and hit the floor wordlessly with his fist amidst that atmosphere.

.

「……cough」

The place Carla teleported to was a building inside a forest near Lester House that was used as a hideout. Carla was spinning round and round while dancing with a deathly face pale and blood trickling from her mouth.

She had obtained unforeseen power just as planned. With this the groundwork to create the “stage” that she dearly wished for had been laid.

Human couldn’t use sorcery that was beyond their level because they couldn’t control their mana perfectly which caused the mana consumption to multiply. But that problem was solved with infinite mana. The current Carla should be able to use sorcery two level above her actual level.

From the start Carla didn’t trust on anything other than her own strength. She had the confidence that she would be able to learn even level 6 sorcery on her own someday. But Carla lacked the life span to accomplish that.

That was why Carla wished for an ability that allowed her to “get an advance” for the ability that originally she should be able to reach in the future.

Until now the powerless Carla had turned her hand toward various things in order to create the last “stage” that she wished for. For that she had even brought in “thing” that human must never laid their hand on into this kingdom.

But even that “thing” had become worthless to her now that she had obtained power. From here on she would be able to accomplish her wish on her own.

Carla imagined the “stage” of the capital being painted in flame and blood while smiling widely with her blood soaked lips.

「The weather is nice today」

***

(I have to decide……)

The dungeon exploration was over. Those who obtained result and those who didn’t, everyone of them managed to return back to the surface.

Nobody died in the exploration this time, but it was wholly thanks to luck. Each person had contributed to reach that result, even so the existence of “Rainbow Sword”, the strongest adventurer party in this kingdom played a large part……Clara once more thought so after she managed to return to the guest mansion of the duke house.

(But, that’s not all……)

Perhaps because of the change in the exploration schedule, the most wicked villainess Carla Lester managed to obtain a Gift that was clearly for attacking purpose. It was something that she didn’t possess even in the otome game.

And then even the pink haired girl who looked similar with the otome game’s heroine also obtained a clearly unique ability. The strength of those two finished off a monster that was in rank 5.

Without those two there was no guarantee that Clara could survive. But, Clara who regarded those two as dangerous based on her previous life’s knowledge felt like her life span was gradually getting shortened from this development.

No, in fact her “life span” was really getting shortened. Even now the Gift that Clara obtained was running to search for the “optimum solution”. The burden from it caused her brain to scream in agony. Intense headache was assaulting Clara constantly.

The dungeon’s spirit found out that Clara’s soul came from another world and gave Clara a Gift too on a whim.

What Clara sought was “the power to survive”──.

An ability to know the “choices” of the future that she could walk on just like in otome game.

Her Gift, 『Foresight』──it was an ability to calculate the possibilities of the future using all the information in her possession, but the future she could see would change depending on the amount of information she had. The calculation of vast amount of information would also shorten Clara’s life.

At first she thought that her problem would be solved if she just killed the heroine. But that thought was based on her common senses as high school student in her previous life. Her effort didn’t go well because of the obstruction of this country’s black ops.

Even trying to get along with the heroine wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem. She finally noticed that the heroine wouldn’t try to harm Clara directly, but as the main fiancée of the crown prince, Clara’s existence would prevent the heroine from becoming the queen. Because of that the surrounding would hold her in contempt and remove her from the picture. Perhaps her family Dandall would protect her, but she couldn’t even fully trust her own brother as one of the capture target who might fall in love with the heroine.

She might get banished to the holy mountain of Fandora Theocracy, an extremely cold land where she would grow old and die without being able to see the outside world ever again……. But even before that there was a risk that Carla would just get killed.

She would be able to survive if she wasn’t the crown prince’s fiancée. But, in the present time Dandall House and her aunt the second queen wouldn’t possibly allow that. And Clara herself couldn’t imagine just stopping being the crown prince’s fiancée at this point.

「Does it hurt, Clara?」

「No, I’m fine, Ervan-sama.」

Ervan was still accompanying Clara even after they had returned to the mansion.

There was nobody else inside this room other than them. Even though they were engaged with each other, originally male and female of minor age from noble family of high status wouldn’t be allowed to stay inside the same room alone. It should be impossible for them to order other people to leave them alone but, right now the servants who should be stopping them were fast asleep from fatigue, and so Ervan was able to visit Clara’s room without anyone getting in his way.

「I’m still not used to the “Gift”……but, I’ll get better soon.」

「I’m sorry Clara……I failed to obtain a Gift. I was just a burden to you.」

「That’s not true! I want to be useful for Ervan-sama.」

「Aa, Clara.」

Clara’s devotion touched Ervan and he called her name, then he gently hugged her. Ervan’s treatment of her made Clara thought once more.

(I……love Ervan-sama……)

If this was the Ervan from the latter half of the otome game, she would simply look up to him as a splendidly mature crown prince and harbored no further feeling to him.

But, it was exactly because Ervan was weak that he could sympathize with the weak Clara and hugged her close. He was able to earnestly support her.

Now Clara was able to understand the feeling of the game Clara who yearned for Ervan and tried to harm the heroine. If the same event like in the otome game happened, the current her might do the same thing like the game Clara.

Not only that, there was even a possibility that the game Clara wasn’t the original Clara who didn’t have the memory of her previous life, but the future of her current self.

「Clara……please, I want you to call me as simply “Er”.」

「Er……sama」

The two’s shadows slowly overlapped, and they awkwardly exchanged their first kiss.

(I’ll do it. ……I won’t hand Er-sama to anyone else.)

If anyone got in the way of her future with Ervan, she would erase them from this world even if it was the heroine or Carla.

She had obtained the “Gift(power)” for that.

The instant Clara resolved herself like that, her Foresight Gift showed her several futures with high possibility. Clara pressed her hand on her face due to the terrible headache, even so she recalled several factors that also existed in the otome game.

(……”Evil race”……)

The enemy of mankind, the messenger of the evil god, the evil people…….

The game Clara was jealous to the heroine and contacted various forces in order to kill her. And then the other villainess Carla also brought in enemy force in order to harm the kingdom.

The current Carla was different from her game self. It seemed that she was focusing in increasing her own strength, but Clara was convinced that the enemy force definitely existed.

The evil race’s force sometimes would withdraw without showing themselves depending on the game’s route, but until then they should be hiding somewhere in this Claydale Kingdom. Clara started taking action in order to contact them.

***

「How is your arm?」

Inside a dark place where the sunlight didn’t reach, under the weak light of candle, a lone man nodded quietly in respond to that question that was asked from the darkness.

「Yeah. I’ll need to train a little but……」

*Creak creak*……the man lifted up an arm of black metal with creaking sound. He punched the stone wall with that arm. The impact shook the air inside the room.

「When I get used to it, I’ll be able to use it just like before……no, even better than before.」

That man’s left arm got bitten off several months ago and he escaped to this place.

An ordinary person would die even before reaching this place. That was just how serious his injury was, but the man survived and instead of spending several years to regenerate his lost arm, he instead sought a new “arm”.

「……As expected from you.」

Right now just moving the arm caused him intense pain but, the man punched the wall without showing any of that pain at all. The other man inside the darkness was at a loss of words for a moment.

The men hadn’t known each other for long. Even so they had understanding and respect for each other.

The man in the darkness and his comrades had slipped into this country from outside in order to inflict “pain”. It wasn’t easy even just to infiltrate into this country that was protected by an organization called black ops and surrounded by rocky mountain, sea, and monster habitat, but several years ago, they obtained the “groundwork” to enter this country thanks to a certain “black haired girl”.

They were now in a hostile relationship with that girl because that girl betrayed and killed some of them, but the thing that the girl left behind as present became the impetus that gave them a place where light couldn’t reach.

The one-armed man before him came into contact with their group after that, though he still wasn’t one-armed the first time they met. He was also deeply knowledgeable about the underside of this country and taught them the way to evade the black ops, the biggest intelligence agency of this country.

But the man’s help definitely didn’t come from something like whim or kindness. The man was greedy when it came to polishing his own “strength”. He desired the fighting strength and unique technique that they had. The special artificial arm that they gave to the man also came from their clan’s chief. It was a treasure that came from a dungeon.

「We have given you a lot. We will work you to the bone to repay it……Grave.」

They also needed this man’s strength in order to kill the black haired girl who betrayed them.

Grave who once fought against Aria and a mythical beast and lost was polishing his fang within the darkness. He smiled like a beast with its fangs bared toward the black skinned “evil race” who talked to him.

「Of course.」

Grave narrowed his eyes inside the darkness where no light shined through, as though he was staring at something very far away.

「Aria……protect the princess with everything you have. Show me your true worth.」

***

「Your highness……I have brought the aforementioned adventurer girl like you asked.」

The bodyguard maid Chloe announced that in front of the door. Then a permission came from inside and Sera opened the door to invite me inside.

That night at the same day when we left the dungeon, everyone in the exploration group was currently sleeping like a log due to their fatigue and relief. Meanwhile Elena who was in the guest mansion summoned me and I came to her room.

「……Welcome, Aria.」

「……Yes.」

As I thought, Elena looked tired. She almost stood up from her seat the moment she saw me, but then she sank deeply onto her seat and changed her posture as though to pretend that it never happened.

「Come over here……Aria. There are only me and these two here, so you don’t need to bother with that half-baked courtesy.」

「……Roger.」

Chloe led me inside and I sat down on the sofa opposite of Elena. The scent of the herb tea that Sera brewed drifted inside the room. Elena started speaking amidst such atmosphere.

「Forgive me for calling you this late when you must be tired. But, I thought that this is my only chance to speak with you.」

Right now even Amor who always got in the way to stop Elena from meeting mere adventurer was also sleeping deeply. It seemed that he had also gotten some kind of mental hang up toward us. He was clearly trying to avoid us.

「Is your arm alright?」

「……No problem.」

Elena was looking with worry at the right arm that I was holding protectively.

Because I used Battle Skill together with Iron Rose, there was magic power heat accumulating in my right arm, but Iron Rose was different from the original Battle Skill so I estimated that I would be able to use Battle Skill again after half a day passed.

But, that shouldn’t be the only reason why I got called here.

「What about the “Gift”?」

Elena’s eyes widened slightly when I bluntly asked her that question. Then she smiled wryly.

「That’s so abrupt. I too was at a loss of what to talk about with you after so long but, certainly……that just wasn’t like us.」

Elena changed her tone to be more casual to show that this was a personal talk. She took a sip of the tea that Sera brewed and sighed.

「I refused the spirit’s offer. Perhaps you also did the same Aria. In exchange I asked the spirit whether they can make me healthy but……Fire Arrow──」

Elena suddenly pointed her hand at me and spoke the word to activate sorcery……but, in my “eyes”, even though her mana was moving, I couldn’t see any “fire” magic particle in it and that sorcery didn’t activate.

「I think……my aptitude and elemental skill in fire sorcery has gone. The spirit talked about 『restoration of soul』. If I lost one of my elements, the magic stone that is pressuring my heart will also gradually get smaller.」

If that was true, would Elena really become healthy……. But, Elena didn’t look wholly delighted by that, instead she sighed in self-depreciation.

「The fire sorcery skill that I had worked hard to increase until level 2 is gone……. I was the one who agreed to it but, I can also understand a little about Carla’s feeling that doesn’t wish to become healthy.」

「I see……」

The skill that was engraved in her soul was erased. Was it similar like using Cure to erase a tattoo?

Elena also mentioned that she 『agreed』 before her skill got erased. Perhaps adding something to soul was easy, but even a tremendous existence like that was limited when it came to erasing skill that was engraved into the soul.

「Aria……I heard from Dalton that you obtained the dungeon’s “blessing”.」

「Uh huh.」

Most likely this was the main topic. Elena leaned forward a little and peered into my eyes.

「A lot of people had witnessed your strength. Even if we try to keep it a secret, it will definitely get leaked and some nobles will try to bring you to their side.」

「…………」

I noticed. Even if what I got wasn’t actually a Gift, obtaining the dungeon’s blessing had turned me into a special existence in this country.

I became an adventurer because I refused to get adopted by noble and got toyed by “fate”. But now, the nobles were going to approach me once more because of that power.

「I have a way to protect you. ……But, it’ll turn into a chain on you that limit the freedom that you sought. If Aria really wish for freedom, I think it’ll be better if you go to another country……」

「Elena.」

She lifted up her head that was looking down when I called her name.

「I won’t run away anymore.」

「Aria……」

I understood that it would become like this. Even if I didn’t receive the dungeon’s blessing, if I obtained a strength to oppose fate, someone who would wish to make use of that strength would definitely appear along the way.

「You should also be in danger Elena. If it become known that you’re healthy now, a side that want to make you into the queen will definitely appear. And then a side that doesn’t like that might target your life. What’re you going to do in that situation Elena?」

「I……」

Elena paused talking for a moment and closed her eyes. Then she immediately looked at me with a strong gaze.

「I thought that would be fine if that would make brother open his eyes. But, now I’m also able to make another choice than that.」

Elena stopped talking there. She stood up and quietly held her hands toward me.

「I too won’t run away anymore. I’m going to become the “queen”. That’s why lend me your strength……Aria.」

「Yes……Elena.」

I also stood up and enveloped the hands Elena held toward me with both my hands.

From here a lot of nobles would approach Elena to make use of her and a lot of enemies would target her. Grave who was targeting me would also target Elena.

I’ll protect Elena. I had gotten stronger for that.

Our paths once split apart from each other. But after walking those paths alone, now our paths crossed each other once more into one path that we would walk together.

A strong willpower was residing inside Elena’s eyes. Those weren’t the eyes of an eleven years old girl, but the eyes of the first princess of a major country. She spoke to me with those eyes.

「Adventurer Aria of “Rainbow Sword”. I will enroll to the sorcery academy in one more years. I request you to guard me within the academy and eliminate my enemies during my three years of stay there……or at the very least until my brother graduate.」

「As you command, your highness.」

Elena requested me as a princess. In respond I kneeled on the spot and accepted. Then our serious expression suddenly crumbled and we smiled slightly to each other.

Surely Carla would also be at the same sorcery academy that Elena would enroll into.

I would also settle the matter between her and me.

I wasn’t going to oppose fate. I would smash it apart.

The fated stage of “otome game” that I avoided and that woman desired. It was finally going to start.