“Jadi, begitu ceritanya.”
“Benar! Lalu, Hiro-sama—”
Dua gadis yang wajahnya nyaris sama sedang asyik mengobrol di seberang meja yang sama di kamar tamu yang diberikan kepada kami. Tentu saja, mereka adalah Mimi dan Yang Mulia Putri Luciada.
“Mereka cepat akrab, ya.”
Pagi setelah malam pertama kami menginap di Istana Kekaisaran, Putri Luciada datang berkunjung bersamaan dengan seorang pelayan yang membawakan sarapan. Rupanya, beliau sangat tertarik pada Mimi, yang penampilannya hampir sama dengannya.
Awalnya Mimi tampak gugup dan kaku. Namun, berkat kepiawaian Putri Luciada mengobrol, karismanya, atau mungkin karena mereka memang cocok, Mimi segera merasa akrab dengannya. Kini mereka asyik bercakap-cakap.
“Benar juga…… Pemandangan yang menyenangkan, bukan?”
Elma menanggapi sambil tenang mengangkat cangkir teh ke bibirnya.
“Ya. Memang.”
Aku memperhatikan Putri Luciada yang tersenyum lembut dan anggun, serta Mimi yang tersenyum manis dan polos, lalu mengangguk setuju. Mereka memang sangat mirip. Nyaris seperti bayangan cermin. Suara mereka pun terdengar serupa. Kalau mereka memakai pakaian dan gaya rambut yang sama, orang-orang pasti akan kesulitan membedakan mereka.
Aku sendiri tidak akan kesulitan. Ukuran dada mereka berbeda.
“Aduh.”
“Jangan kurang ajar.”
Mungkin Elma sadar ke mana mataku tertuju. Ia duduk di sebelahku di sofa dan mencubit pinggangku kuat-kuat. Para dayang dan Pengawal Kekaisaran perempuan yang ditugaskan untuk Putri Luciada juga melayangkan tatapan sedingin es kepadaku. Sebagai satu-satunya pria di ruangan itu, posisiku benar-benar lemah.
“……Mei, ikut aku sebentar. Aku ingin berkeringat sedikit.”
“Baik. Saya mengerti, Master.”
Mendengar percakapanku dengan Mei, para dayang dan Pengawal Kekaisaran perempuan menyipitkan mata dengan jijik. Tatapan mereka seolah menganggapku sampah tak berguna. Mereka semua gadis cantik yang tak kalah dari Mimi dan Elma, jadi efeknya sungguh dahsyat. Kalau begini terus, fetiseku yang berbahaya bisa bangkit……
Omong-omong, aku tahu apa yang mereka bayangkan ingin kulakukan, tapi bukan itu maksudku, ya?
“Permisi, para Nona Pengawal Kekaisaran. Bisakah kalian mengantar kami ke tempat kalian biasa berlatih pedang? Saya ingin meminjamnya sebentar untuk berlatih.”
“……Begitu rupanya. Maidroid itu dilengkapi fungsi tempur, bukan?”
“Benar, Nona. Jika pembatasnya dilepas, kemampuannya dapat menandingi prajurit profesional yang mengenakan zirah bertenaga.”
“Begitu…… Jadi dia juga bertugas sebagai pengawalmu, ya?”
Ksatria perempuan itu mengangguk seolah memahami, lalu melirik Mimi. Rupanya, ia juga menyadari Mimi tidak memiliki kemampuan bertarung. Memang begitulah kenyataannya. Yang bisa dilakukan Mimi hanyalah menembakkan senapan lasernya sambil memejamkan mata, berharap setidaknya ada yang kena. Itu pun hanya saat menembak sasaran latihan. Ia mungkin sama sekali tak akan sanggup menembak sasaran hidup.
“Kalau begitu, bolehkah saya meminjam tempat latihan kalian sebentar?”
“Baik. Saya akan mengantar kalian. Richelle, Aina, aku serahkan tempat ini kepada kalian.”
“”Baik!””
Dari tiga Pengawal Kekaisaran perempuan itu, dua orang tetap tinggal di kamar tamu, sementara seorang menemani aku dan Mei. Ia menyebut kedua rekannya tanpa gelar kehormatan, dan sikap serta pembawaannya pun sangat mantap. Sepertinya ia salah satu komandan Pengawal Kekaisaran.
“Ikuti saya.”
“Baik.”
Aku dan Mei mengikuti sang Ksatria Perempuan dan meninggalkan kamar tamu bersamanya. Kami menyusuri lorong-lorong istana yang megah. Setelah berjalan cukup lama, sang Ksatria Perempuan tiba-tiba membuka suara.
“Nona Mimi…… orangnya ceria dan polos, ya? Hati saya terasa hangat melihat beliau mengobrol riang dengan Yang Mulia.”
“Mimi memang anak yang baik.”
“Betul. Mungkin itu sebabnya ia tertarik pada pria mata keranjang sepertimu?”
“Wah, pedas sekali.”
Aku mengangkat bahu santai saat sang Ksatria Perempuan menatapku tajam.
“Menurutku, aku tidak separah itu sebagai pria mata keranjang.”
“Bukankah kau bukan hanya mengulurkan tangan beracunmu kepada Nona Mimi, tetapi juga kepada putri bungsu Viscount Willrose? Dan kau juga menyimpan dua wanita lagi di kapalmu, bukan?”
“Wah, Nona, menakutkan sekali. Bagaimana Anda tahu semua itu? Tapi aku sama sekali belum menyentuh mereka berdua, ya? Memang menurutku mereka imut, tapi kalau sampai macam-macam, rasanya seperti melakukan kejahatan.”
“Bukankah kau sudah macam-macam dengan Nona Mimi?”
“Ya, soal Mimi dan aku memang agak rumit.”
Di Bumi, itu tentu sudah termasuk pelanggaran. Namun, di dimensi ini tidak. Di sini Mimi sudah dianggap dewasa. Lagi pula, ada berbagai keadaan waktu itu. Saat pertama kali kami bertemu, kondisi mentalnya memang sangat rapuh.
“Apa maksudmu dengan ‘agak rumit’?”
“Aku tidak punya alasan untuk menceritakan semuanya kepadamu, tahu…… Oh, ya. Apa Anda juga akan ikut dalam duel pedang besok, Nona?”
“Tidak. Kenapa bertanya?”
“Kalau begitu, temani aku berlatih pedang. Akan kuceritakan keadaan kami kalau kau berhasil mengalahkanku.”
Mendengar tawaranku, mata Nona Ksatria itu membelalak kaget, lalu segera menyipit dengan gembira.
“Menarik. Menyelesaikan masalah dengan pedang memang usul yang bagus. Sepertinya aku terlalu meremehkanmu.”
Ah, rupanya dia tipe yang seperti itu. Perempuan ini cantik dan bicaranya anggun, tetapi ternyata otot-ototnya yang berpikir.
“Kuh, bu-nuh!”
Setelah sekitar tiga puluh menit, Pengawal Kekaisaran perempuan bernama Isolde-san itu menunjukkan ekspresi yang sama sekali tidak pantas bagi seorang wanita.
“Jangan membunuh, ya.”
Aku mengacungkan sepasang pedang latihan tumpul dan menanggapi dengan bingung.
Begini ceritanya. Aku berhasil meminjam tempat latihan Pengawal Kekaisaran dan bertanding melawan Isolde-san, tetapi aku menang dengan mudah. Tentu saja aku terkejut, tetapi Isolde-san dan para Pengawal Kekaisaran lain yang hadir di tempat latihan bahkan lebih terkejut lagi.
“S-Sekali lagi!”
“Boleh.”
Isolde-san, sang Pengawal Kekaisaran, mengambil pedang latihannya yang terpental dan kembali menantangku. Sebagai Pengawal Kekaisaran profesional, gerakannya lincah dan bertenaga. Ilmu pedangnya pun sangat tajam.
“Haa!”
Dengan gerakan yang penuh tenaga, Isolde-san mengayunkan pedang latihan dari bahan mirip plastik yang keras dan berat ke arahku. Namun, gerakannya tampak lambat di mataku. Aku bahkan tidak menahan napas untuk mengaktifkan kemampuanku. Aku hanya sudah terbiasa menghadapi serangan Mei yang jauh lebih cepat dan kuat.
“Yo.”
“Nuuh!?”
Tidak diragukan lagi, Isolde-san memang cepat. Namun, Mei jauh lebih cepat dan kuat. Selain itu, serangannya kurang akurat dibandingkan serangan Mei, dan celah yang ia tunjukkan terlalu banyak.
“Ah!?”
Aku memukul tangan yang memegang pedangnya hingga senjata itu terlepas. Tak memberinya kesempatan untuk mengambilnya kembali, aku langsung melancarkan tebasan penentu.
Bel berbunyi di tempat latihan. Isolde-san kembali kalah. Dengan ini, aku sudah menang empat kali berturut-turut.
“Kuh…… Bunuh aku!”
“Uh, sistem latihan sudah memutuskan kau terbelah dua dan mati.”
Fasilitas latihan itu dilengkapi peralatan dan sistem canggih yang memungkinkan penggunanya menyimulasikan duel pedang sungguhan sambil memakai pedang latihan tumpul. Jika mengenakan penutup kepala khusus lalu saling menebas dengan pedang latihan, sistem akan mengukur kerusakan yang ditimbulkan secara otomatis dan memberikan penalti yang sesuai kepada tubuh.
Misalnya, jika lengan kanan terkena tebasan, lengan itu akan lumpuh selama pertandingan. Jika kaki terkena tebasan, kaki itu tak bisa digerakkan dan penggunanya mungkin akan jatuh. Jika jari terkena tebasan, kekuatan genggamannya akan hilang sehingga ia tak bisa lagi memegang pedang latihan. Jika terkena serangan mematikan, bel akan berbunyi dan penggunanya dinyatakan tewas. Aku tidak tahu persis cara kerja sistemnya. Mungkin sensor dipasang di dinding, langit-langit, dan lantai?
“Dia memperlakukan Isolde-san semudah menghadapi anak kecil.”
“Benar…… Tapi apa mungkin melakukan hal seperti itu?”
“Jangan menahan diri, Isolde. Gunakan seluruh kekuatanmu.”
“Selain pertandingan pertama, aku sudah mengerahkan seluruh kekuatanku sejak pertandingan kedua!”
Isolde-san berdiri, mengambil pedangnya, lalu kembali memasang kuda-kuda. Sepertinya ia masih ingin melanjutkan.
“Ayo!”
“Silakan.”
Isolde-san kembali menyerang dengan semangat tinggi. Ia melancarkan tebasan diagonal yang sederhana, tetapi kuat. Langkah maju dan kecepatan ayunannya nyaris sempurna. Hmm. Sepertinya aku harus menerima serangannya.
Aku merendahkan pinggang dan memutuskan untuk berfokus menangkis tebasan Isolde-san. Katanya, Isolde-san adalah salah satu Pengawal Kekaisaran paling menonjol dan terampil. Ini juga kesempatan bagus bagiku untuk mengamati ilmu pedang Pengawal Kekaisaran.
“Haa! Yaa! Sei!”
Aku menghindar dan menangkis rangkaian serangan Isolde-san yang datang bak badai. Semua serangannya berat, tajam, dan tampaknya ditujukan untuk mengakhiri pertarungan dengan satu tebasan. Kalau kami bertarung sungguhan dengan pedang asli, percikan api pasti sudah beterbangan.
“Kau lambat.”
“Apa!?”
Namun, bagiku ia tetap cukup lambat. Serangannya terasa ringan. Jauh sekali bedanya dengan serangan Mei. Kalau aku mencoba menangkis serangan Mei seperti yang kulakukan sekarang, pertahananku mungkin akan langsung terpental. Kalaupun aku berhasil menangkisnya, lenganku pasti kebas sampai tak bisa bergerak setelah satu atau dua serangan, lalu tak berguna. Dibandingkan serangan Mei, serangan Isolde-san tak lebih dari semilir angin.
“Yaaa!”
Aku menangkis tusukan yang Isolde-san lancarkan sambil melontarkan teriakan tajam dengan pedang di tangan kiriku. Lalu, aku menarik kaki kiri ke samping dan melancarkan serangan balasan dengan pedang di tangan kanan, mengarah ke dada Isolde-san. Ia berhasil memutar tubuh dan menghindar tipis-tipis. Namun, aku segera melangkah maju dengan kaki kiri yang tadi kutarik, lalu menebas leher Isolde-san dengan pedang yang kugunakan untuk menangkis tusukannya. Pertandingan pun berakhir.
“Gunununu……!”
Bel kembali berbunyi, dan Isolde-san dijatuhi hukuman mati. Kalau kami menggunakan pedang sungguhan, kepalanya pasti sudah terpisah dari lehernya.
“Gaya ilmu pedang apa yang sebenarnya ia pelajari……?”
“Kurasa mirip gaya Geos. Namun, gerakan kaki dan teknik bertahannya cukup berbeda.”
“Bolehkah aku bertanding dengannya juga?”
“Aku akan membalaskan kekalahan Isolde.”
Para Pengawal Kekaisaran yang menyaksikan pertandinganku dengan Isolde-san mulai ramai-ramai menantangku. Sepertinya aku tidak akan kesulitan mencari lawan latihan.”,”glossary”:[{
“So that’s what happened.”
“Yep! And then, Hiro-sama was–”
Two girls with practically identical faces were having a spirited discussion while sitting behind the same table inside the guest room we were assigned to. Yep. The two girls were, of course, Mimi and Her Imperial Highness, Princess Luciada.
“They splendidly hit it off huh.”
It was the morning after our first night staying within the Imperial Castle. When an attendant brought our breakfast, Princess Luciada arrived for a visit as well. It looks like she was quite interested in Mimi, who had almost the same appearance as her.
At first, Mimi was quite nervous and stiff, but due to the Princess’ gift of gab or her innate charisma, or perhaps it was simply because they were on the same wavelength, Mimi soon cozied up to Princess Luciada and was now having an enjoyable conversation with her.
“You’re right…… It’s a really nice sight, isn’t it?”
Elma replied as she calmly brought a teacup to her lips.
“Uhuh. It sure is.”
I watched over Princess Luciada, who had a gentle and elegant smile on her face, and Mimi, who had a cute and innocent smile on hers and nodded in agreement. They truly resembled each other a lot. They were practically mirror images of each other. Their voices sounded similar as well. If they both wore the same clothes and sported the same hairstyle, won’t other people have difficulty telling them apart?
Me? I won’t have any trouble though. That’s because their breast sizes were different.
“Ouch.”
“Don’t be rude.”
Perhaps she sensed where I was looking at. Elma, who was sitting alongside me on the sofa, tightly pinched my flank. The ladies-in-waiting and female Imperial Guards assigned to Princess Luciada were also giving me icy cold looks. My position as the only male in the room was utterly weak.
“……Mei, come with me for a while. I wanna work up a sweat for a bit.”
“Yes. Understood, Master.”
When they heard my exchange with Mei, the ladies-in-waiting and female Imperial Guards all narrowed their eyes in scorn. It was like they were looking at me as if I were utter garbage. They were all really beautiful girls comparable to Mimi and Elma, so the destructive power was immense. Any more and I’d be awakening to a dangerous fetish…
By the way, I already have an idea about what they were imagining I wanted to do, but that’s not it, okay?
“Excuse me, esteemed ladies from the Imperial Guards, can you guide us to the place where you usually practice swordsmanship? I would like to borrow the place for a while to do some swordsmanship training.”
“……I see. That maidroid has combat functions installed, correct?”
“It’s as you say, milady. If she isn’t held down by limiters, she could rival professional soldiers equipped with power armor.”
“Hou…… I see, I see. In other words, she serves as your bodyguard, doesn’t she?”
The Lady Knight nodded as if she was convinced and glanced toward Mimi. It looks like she’s noticed Mimi’s lack of combat skills as well. That’s just how it is. The most Mimi could do was to shoot her laser gun with her eyes closed while hoping to at least hit something. And that’s when she’s shooting at practice targets. She probably won’t be able to shoot at live targets at all.
“So would it be possible to borrow your training grounds for a while?”
“Very well. I shall guide you there. Richelle, Aina, I’ll leave this place to both of you.”
“”Yes!””
Out of the three female Imperial Guards, two remained in the guest room while one accompanied Mei and me. She did call the names of the other two without honorifics and had the attitude and bearing down pat, so this Lady Knight was probably one of the Imperial Guards’ commanding officers.
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
Mei and I obediently followed the Lady Knight’s words and left the guest room together with her. We then began walking around the majestic-looking corridors of the palace. After walking around for a while, the Lady Knight suddenly opened her mouth to speak.
“That person…… Mimi-sama has a very cheerful and innocent disposition, doesn’t she? It warms my heart to see her and Her Imperial Highness chatting happily like that.”
“Mimi is a good girl after all.”
“That she is. I wonder if that’s why she’s attracted to a frivolous man like you?”
“Whoah. How harsh.”
I shrugged nonchalantly at the Lady Knight who was now giving me a nasty glare.
“I personally don’t think I’m that much of a ‘bad boy’ type though.”
“Did you not only extended your poisonous claws to Mimi-sama, but even the youngest daughter of Viscount Willrose? And you are even keeping two more women back in your ship, correct?”
“That’s scary, milady. How’d you find that out anyway? But I haven’t laid my hands on those two at all, okay? I do think both of them are pretty cute, but laying my hands on them kinda seems like I’m committing a crime you know.”
“But didn’t you already lay your hands on Mimi-sama?”
“Uh, well, it’s kinda complicated between Mimi and me.”
Back on Earth, it would have been an out. But in this dimension, it was safe. Mimi was already treated as an adult in this dimension after all. And, well, there were also the circumstances back then. Her state of mind back when we first met was very fragile after all.
“And what exactly do you mean by ‘complicated’?”
“I don’t really have any reason to tell you that much y’know…… Oh, right. Are you going to participate in the sword duels tomorrow as well, milady?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“Okay then. Accompany me in my swordsmanship training. I’ll tell you about our circumstances if you win against me.”
After she heard my offer, the eyes of Ms. Lady Knight widened in surprise and then narrowed in delight soon after.
“That sounds good. Deciding things by way of the sword is a great suggestion. I may have underestimated you a bit much.”
Ah, she’s one of ‘those’ types huh. This lady was pretty and had an elegant way of speaking, but she’s a muscle-head to the core.
“Kuh, kiiiill!”
After roughly over thirty minutes, the female Imperial Guard, Isolde-san, showed an expression that seemed really inappropriate for a lady.
“No killing please.”
I brandished a pair of blunt training swords and retorted in bafflement.
Well, y’see, I successfully borrowed the training grounds of the Imperial Guards and engaged Isolde-san in a practice match, but I ended up winning quite easily. I was also surprised, of course, but Isolde-san and the other imperial Guards present at the grounds were even more surprised.
“O-One more match!”
“Oka〜y.”
The Lady Imperial Guard Isolde-san picked up her training sword that was blown away by me and challenged me again. As a qualified professional Imperial Guard, Isolde-san’s movements were quite agile and powerful. Her swordsmanship was also very sharp.
“Haaa!”
With tremendous momentum, Isolde-san wielded the training sword made of a tough and heavy plastic-like material and slashed it at me. But her move seemed pretty slow in my eyes. I wasn’t even holding my breath and activating my ability. I was just used to Mei’s attacks that were way more fast and powerful.
“Yo.”
“Nuuh!?”
There’s no doubt that Isolde-san was fast. She was fast, but Mei was just that much faster and stronger. Furthermore, her strikes were less accurate compared to Mei’s and she displayed far too many openings.
“Ah!?”
I hit her sword-wielding hand and made her drop her weapon. I didn’t give her the chance to recover the sword and immediately unleashed a slash to finish Isolde-san off.
A buzzer rang out within the training grounds, and Isolde-san once again lost the match. With this, I already had a four-match winning streak.
“Kuh…… Kill me!”
“Uh, the training system already judged that you’ve been cut in half and killed though.”
The training facility had advanced training equipment and systems that would allow you to simulate a real sword fight while wielding blunt training swords. If you wore specialized headgear and slashed at each other with the training swords, the system would automatically measure the damage dealt and impose appropriate penalties to the body.
For example, if the right arm got slashed, it would be paralyzed for the duration of the match. If a leg got slashed, it would become immobile and you’d most likely trip on the ground. If your fingers got slashed, they’d lose their gripping power and would no longer be able to hold the training sword. And if you get dealt a fatal blow, a buzzer will ring out, and you’d be judged as dead. I don’t know how exactly the whole system works though. Did they install sensors on the walls, ceiling, and ground, perhaps?
“He’s handling that Isolde-san like it’s child’s play.”
“You’re right…… But is something like that really possible?”
“There’s no need to hold back, Isolde. Use your full strength.”
“Barring the first match, I’ve been giving my all from the second match onward!”
Isolde-san got up, retrieved her sword, and got into a fighting stance again. It looks like she still wants to continue.
“Let’s go!”
“Come on then.”
Isolde-san was pretty enthusiastic and attacked again. She unleashed a simple but powerful diagonal slash. Her step-in and swing speed were practically perfect. Fumu. I guess I have no choice but to receive her sword attack.
I dropped my waist and decided to concentrate on parrying Isolde-san’s slash. It seems that Isolde-san was one of the most prominent and skilled Imperial Guards, and this was a good opportunity for me to observe the Imperial Guard’s swordplay as well.
“Haa! Yaa! Sei!”
I dodged and parried Isolde-san’s storm-like series of attacks. All her attacks were heavy, sharp, and probably meant to end the fight in one hit. If we were seriously fighting with real swords, sparks would have been flying by now.
“You’re slow.”
“What!?”
But she was still quite slow for me. Her attacks were light. They were lightyears away from Mei’s attacks. If I tried to parry Mei’s attack like what I’m doing now, my defense would probably get blown away instantly. And even if I did manage to parry her attacks somehow, my arms would be too numb to move after just one or two attacks and would then be rendered useless. Compared to those, Isolde-san’s attacks were akin to a gentle breeze.
“Yaaa!”
I parried the piercing thrust Isolde-san unleashed together with a sharp battle cry with the sword on my left hand, pulled my left foot outward, and unleashed a counterattack with the sword on my right hand. I aimed my attack on Isolde-san’s chest. Isolde-san managed to twist her body and narrowly avoided my attack, but I then sharply stepped forward with my left foot that I just pulled back earlier, and cut Isolde-san’s neck with the sword I used to parry her thrust, ending the match.
“Gunununu……!”
The buzzer rang out once more and Isolde-san was given the death penalty. If we were using real swords, Isolde-san’s head would have been separated from her neck already.
“Just what style of swordsmanship is he practicing……?”
“It’s similar to the Geos style, I think. But the footwork and defense techniques are quite different.”
“Can I ask for a match as well?”
“I will avenge Isolde’s loss.”
The Imperial Guards who were watching the matches between me and Isolde-san began clamoring for a match with me one after another. It looks like I won’t have trouble finding training partners after all.
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