Chapter 63
On the way to the southern front, where Regis would be, we met up with other families from different territories.
The Clifton Marquis family and the Everett Count family.
With the soldiers they brought, our forces had become quite large.
‘With this much, we can completely drive out the Duchy’s forces, I think.’
Not bad for an army, and we had enough supplies.
I guessed it would be an easy fight.
The nobles gathered in the command tent greeted each other with cheerful atmospheres.
“I am Scott Clifton, the eldest son of the Clifton Marquis.”
“I’m Jude. Jude Everett.”
“Oh, I’ve heard much about your exceptional skills in combat.”
Luke, the commander-in-chief, was a famous figure as the next duke, so there was no need for introductions for him.
But both Scott and Jude were curious about me.
They were probably wondering why I was there.
There was no reason for the duke’s daughter, who was known for her bad personality and incompetence, to be on the battlefield.
‘How should I introduce myself? Should I just say I’m a spirit master?’
As I kept noticing their glances, I was just waiting for the right moment to introduce myself.
Then Jude, who had been looking at me the most, spoke up first.
“By the way, who is this radiant lady in the midst of so many men? Are you perhaps the one rumored to be soon to be the princess consort…?”
“Yes. I am Claudia, the first daughter of the Duke of Rubelleris.”
I smiled sweetly at Jude and continued.
“But that rumor is a bit off. As for me becoming the princess consort… it’s not exactly settled yet.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say I had been disqualified.
It was best to just say “not exactly settled.”
Jude immediately gave a response as smooth as butter.
“My apologies. You exude such beauty and nobility, I must have become nervous and misspoken.”
He then narrowed his blue eyes and smiled.
It was surprising that a man with blonde hair and blue eyes could have such a refreshing smile.
I thought he, just like me, didn’t quite fit in here.
‘He gives off the impression of being more skilled at charming women than fighting… Ah, would it be rude to think that…?’
Still, he seemed to be good with a sword.
Earlier, Scott had told Jude, “I’ve heard much about your exceptional skills in combat.”
At that moment, Scott asked a question.
“By the way, why is Lady Claudia here?”
Finally, the question I was expecting had come.
I cleared my throat and responded.
“I came here to lend my strength in battle. It’s actually quite a natural thing.”
“Lady Claudia?”
I didn’t like the way Scott asked, as if to say, ‘Why are you here?’
His expression and tone suggested he was thinking, “What are you doing here?”
He roughly swept his dark hair away from his eyes.
“It’s concerning. The battlefield is no place for young ladies.”
“…”
“We’ll be wearing heavy armor and wielding real swords to kill enemies. It’s very dangerous.”
“…Ah, I see.”
It was something any child would know—that the battlefield was dangerous.
The fact that he was explaining this to me like it was something new irritated me.
So, I responded casually, which made his expression twitch slightly.
“Do you know how to use a sword?”
“No.”
“Then how about a bow?”
“I’ve never shot anything alive.”
“…”
I knew the Clifton Marquis family was near the border with another country.
So, I’d heard that they took military prowess very seriously.
Was that why Scott valued martial skills so highly?
Despite me not knowing how to wield a sword or bow, he was glaring at me in the command tent.
“I can’t bring a woman who seems incapable of defending herself to the battlefield.”
“…”
“This is something I must bring up with the commander-in-chief.”
Scott, who had been glaring at me, eventually brought Luke into the conversation.
He may have had martial prowess, but he lacked awareness.
He didn’t realize his actions were already irritating Luke.
Luke slowly opened his mouth.
“My sister… a hindrance…?”
“Quite the interesting story. Please continue.”
At that point, it seemed Scott realized his mistake.
I also sensed that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
‘No. If Luke starts defending me too much, it’ll give us both a bad reputation. For both of us.’
So, before Luke could step in, I decided to handle Scott myself.
“I fully understand your feelings.”
“…You understand?”
“I’ve heard that the Clifton family is called the empire’s greatest shield. I’m sure you know the weight of war and battle well.”
“…”
“You must be worried that someone like me, who hasn’t mastered martial skills, is here.”
My words weren’t finished.
I wiped the smile off my face and looked him straight in the eye.
“But judging my abilities hastily is clearly an error.”
“…!”
His attitude grew more hostile, but I didn’t stop.
“My true strength is not in my body.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“So, just because I’m not skilled in martial arts, you can’t immediately decide I’m unnecessary.”
“…”
“You’d do well to remember this. A commander who lacks caution is the one who leads his army to death… I’ve heard that before.”
Was that last statement too aggressive?
Scott’s face turned bright red.
“If your abilities aren’t physical, then where do they lie?”
I had been waiting for him to ask that, so I quickly called forth the power of water.
Soon, water droplets formed in the air.
Everyone, except Luke, was seeing spirits for the first time.
As expected, everyone’s eyes grew wide.
Even Scott couldn’t hide his shock.
“Wh-What is this??”
I shaped the water droplets into the form of an arrow and shot it toward Scott.
The water narrowly brushed past him, cutting a few strands of his hair.
Swish.
As his hair fell gently to the ground, Scott stood frozen, unable to speak.
“…”
“…”
He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen, standing there dumbfounded.
I decided to break the silence before he stood there all day.
“I’m not a swordswoman or an archer. I haven’t trained my body. But I have other abilities.”
When everyone’s attention was solely on me, I took a polite bow.
This time, I clearly introduced myself for what I truly was.
“Not as the Duke’s Lady, but as a Spirit Master. I am Claudia. I look forward to working with you.”
I didn’t like showing off or fighting over dominance.
But there are times when you can’t avoid it.
For example, when you have to prove you’re not useless so you don’t get sent home…
Fortunately, after that, Scott didn’t grumble anymore.
He coughed awkwardly and then offered a handshake in a gesture of reconciliation.
“Please forgive me, Spirit Master. I must have judged you with a narrow perspective.”
“It’s alright. I’ve already forgotten about it.”
I took his hand, smiling generously, and smoothly ended the situation.
Later that night:
Luke’s original purpose had been to reach Earl Cade’s estate within a day.
Camping would drain a lot of energy, so we were supposed to spend the night there and replenish supplies.
However, despite moving quickly, it was impossible to reach the estate in just one day.
We had done our best, but we ended up not reaching it.
‘Camping is unavoidable.’
On the field where we stopped, I sighed deeply.
Meanwhile, the soldiers began preparing for camp efficiently.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to struggle to find drinking water.
“I’ll take care of the water.”
I quickly made the water for drinking, stew, and even washing.
The soldiers, and even the commanders, gathered around me, amazed by what they saw.
Questions started pouring in.
“This… Is this the power of a spirit? At least we won’t die of thirst now.”
“They say water can determine the outcome of war… And to have an unlimited supply like this…”
“The gods must be on our side.”
The knights knew well how important water was on the battlefield.
That’s why they were highly impressed with my abilities.
As they continued to praise me, I gradually felt proud of myself.
It was like being an acrobat in front of an audience, and I wanted to get even more reactions.
‘They’re so amazed just by water. If I showed them how to light firewood, they’d probably faint…’
Unfortunately, the firewood was wet, and the soldiers were struggling to get it lit.
After clearing my throat, I quietly called out in a voice no one else could hear.
“Hey, are you here?”
I didn’t have to wait long.
<Me?>
He appeared as soon as I called.
He always showed up when I called, sometimes even when I didn’t.
I was used to him, but the others weren’t.
“Ah!”
“It’s the fire spirit!!”
Unlike when I used water, when the fire spirit appeared, the soldiers stepped back.
Confused, they started shouting.
“Get away! It’s a demon!”
“That demon has burned many villages to the ground!”
“He’s the one who set our village’s mountain on fire!”
Unlike the water spirit, who stayed quietly in the island, the fire spirit had a reputation for destruction.
Naturally, he became an object of fear.
The campsite quickly descended into chaos.
‘This isn’t the image I wanted…’
I had only wanted to show off the ability to light fire with spirit power.
While the soldiers scattered, I shot a look of reproach at the fire spirit.
“How did your reputation end up like this? What on earth have you been doing?”
<…Fire is hot and dangerous. Of course, people get hurt when they go too close to it and blame me.>
While speaking, he glared at the people who were running away.
It seemed he didn’t like people avoiding him.
But the more he glared and scowled, the further away they ran.
If I left it alone, the vicious cycle would continue.
I felt I had to step in to mediate.
“I understand your frustration, but if they saw the mountain and village burning, it’s no wonder they’d be wary of you.”
…
“There is a way to completely change your bad reputation, though.”
I picked up a wet log of firewood and handed it to him.
