WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
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◈ The Protagonist of a Romance Fantasy Only Likes Me ◈
Chapter 8: Warrior Marigold. (3)
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5.
[Lancel Mercenary Guild]
Marigold’s heart had been fluttering strangely ever since she arrived at the guild’s main building. The closer she got, the worse it became.
“Wow, it’s morning, but there are already so many sweaty people packed together. I feel like I’ll get contaminated just by getting close. Huh? Young lady? Young laaady?”
Before Pina could stop her, Marigold shoved her way through the crowd.
“What? This is a mercenary guild. Women should go... Aaargh!”
Twisting the wrist of the person who tried to block her, she forced her way to the very front.
“Cutting in line is bad, young lady.”
“Ah.”
When she finally reached the front, Marigold’s lips parted slightly.
“Lancel Dante...”
The man she had seen in her dream.
He was leaning casually against the reception counter. Thump. Thump. Her heart pounded harder than it ever had before.
“Who is that person you keep worrying about, young lady? He’s just some ordinary noble.”
Marigold had no suitable answer.
This feeling could not be expressed simply as liking or disliking him, as affection or aversion.
“You didn’t even know him before. Who exactly is he?”
“Hmm.”
After some thought, Marigold tilted her head and answered Pina.
“My ex-husband?”
“...?”
It was not wrong.
It had only happened in a dream, though.
“We will begin the examination! Enter one at a time!”
The examination began, and Marigold’s turn drew near. The person she would cross swords with had been decided long ago.
“Please spar with me, Sir Lancel Dante.”
* * *
Whether Marigold would pass had practically already been decided.
Mastering Beginner Swordsmanship meant she had secured the minimum ability required to work as a mercenary.
Her posture was also far more solid than it had been in the past, enough to impress anyone who saw it. She would likely be more skilled than most mercenaries.
“Please spar with me, Sir Lancel Dante.”
More than anything, there was her gaze.
Those blazing eyes.
Her emerald-like eyes seemed ready to throw off sparks at any moment.
Marigold did not say much, but Lancel could feel unprecedented emotions churning within her.
‘...Weren’t we strangers in this iteration?’
Lancel was briefly speechless.
Marigold was not a regressor. She had no memories of previous iterations. Of that, he was certain.
Then why?
“You should accept. She wants it that badly.”
The Third Prince, who had been watching from beside him, spoke. The corners of his lips curved slightly upward. He was clearly enjoying this situation.
Hmm.
What was going on here?
“What are you doing? His lordship is the guild master, not an examiner. Come over here already...”
Lancel raised a hand, stopping the examiner.
Without a word, he drew the wooden sword from his waist.
“Young Master?”
“It’s fine. Anyone can conduct an examination. I was getting bored just standing around.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“Yes, sir!”
The examiners all stepped back.
Everyone gathered around Lancel and Marigold like spectators.
The hall stirred at the unexpected turn of events.
“A noble sparring with some girl who used to work at an inn. Live long enough, and you see all kinds of things.”
“A country bumpkin and a serving girl.”
“I heard he’s a knight, though?”
“He’s too skinny to be a knight. He only got that rank because he chose the right hole to be born from.”
The mercenaries’ mouths never stopped moving.
“No matter how low mercenaries have fallen, an inn girl making a fuss about becoming a mercenary is just...”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. That woman isn’t ordinary. Around ten to fifteen guys must have gotten hurt after messing with her at the inn in the west.”
“What?”
“That’s her?”
The mercenaries looking at Marigold began to change their expressions.
It seemed they had all heard the rumor somewhere.
“You know Roben, the bastard who couldn’t come today?”
“The guy lying down because he threw out his back? Of course I know him.”
“She did that.”
“Huh. He said he slipped in the bathhouse. Was that a lie?”
Lancel lightly spun his wooden sword once and stepped forward.
“Let’s do this. If you can so much as graze my clothes, I’ll give you a Copper Badge immediately.”
It was one rank above the Iron Badge with which mercenaries began.
“If you touch my body even once, you get a Silver Badge. If you draw even one drop of blood, you get a Gold Badge. How about it?”
“What if I win?”
“If you win...”
Lancel smiled at the sight of Marigold, burning with competitiveness.
“Then I’ll grant you anything you want.”
“You promised.”
As soon as she finished speaking, one of the examiners raised a hand.
“Ready, begin!”
The moment the signal was given, Marigold’s wooden sword cut through the air.
She slid across the floor, closing five steps in an instant as she thrust her wooden sword forward.
Lancel easily turned his head and avoided it.
Her movement was far faster than he expected, but that was not the problem. The strange aura coming from her wooden sword was.
‘...Mana?’
No, that was impossible.
Imbuing mana into a sword only became possible after mastering Supreme Swordsmanship. Marigold was still far from that level.
Yet mana was now seeping from not only Marigold’s wooden sword, but her entire body. Her hair fluttered slightly despite the completely still air indoors.
Had her achievement suddenly jumped five levels? Even for the protagonist, that was impossible.
There was only one possibility.
‘Third Prince. That bastard.’
Lancel glanced behind him. The Third Prince stood there with an open fan concealing the lower half of his face. His crescent-shaped eyes watched their sparring match.
Once Lancel focused on the flow of mana, he could see it clearly. Mana flowing from the Third Prince’s body was going directly into Marigold.
============
A sudden event has occurred! The Third Prince is supporting Marigold. He casts the fifth-rank spell, “Blessing.” Marigold’s stats will greatly increase until the Third Prince’s mana is depleted.
※The Third Prince wants to see Lancel Dante, the master of the Lancel Mercenary Guild, in trouble. Defeat him!
============
Blessing.
The blessing of a high-level mage strengthened Marigold to the limit. The mana she possessed now was essentially the Third Prince Yuri’s power.
‘Every prince in this Empire is insane.’
Marigold was pitiable, having to marry men like that. Thinking so, Lancel adjusted his stance.
“Don’t misunderstand, Marigold. I don’t hold any ill will toward you.”
He had intended to take it easy, but...
6.
Lancel already knew the Third Prince’s intentions. He wanted to assess him.
He wanted to see how skilled Lancel was and how much strength he was hiding.
Lancel had no intention of playing along. He reined in all the mana within his body. From now on, only his physical body would move him.
Swoosh!
Marigold’s wooden sword came flying at him with a sound that seemed to tear through the air itself.
Lancel redirected its force and stepped back. It contained enough destructive power to smash him apart if he met it head-on.
Countless exchanges unfolded between them in an instant. They moved too quickly for the eye to follow.
“...That...”
The onlookers’ eyes gradually filled with shock.
Marigold’s sword strikes, which came at him with terrifying force, were certainly impressive.
But even stranger was Lancel, deflecting every attack with one hand.
“Even with all that strength, you’re still lacking. You have a long way to go.”
A relaxed smile rested on his lips.
“Your waist is open.”
“Urgh!”
“Don’t exaggerate. Your shoulder is open this time.”
“Ah!”
Every so often, he merely tapped the empty openings in Marigold’s defense with the tip of his sword.
No one there understood how such a thing was possible.
They could only sense that Lancel Dante had reached a level of swordsmanship beyond their understanding.
“Hmm.”
As things continued, the smile slowly vanished from one person’s face.
Lancel sensed the change in his emotions and rejoiced.
‘Did you think simply raising her stats would be enough, Your Highness?’
Marigold’s abilities were enhanced by the mana the Third Prince sent her. That meant it was also the Third Prince’s mana that would be depleted over time.
Of course, the Third Prince was called a magical genius and had mana to spare, so the loss would not be obvious yet. Still, it could not have felt very pleasant.
Lancel was satisfied by that.
Swoosh!
Until red rings appeared in Marigold’s eyes.
“...I’m coming again.”
All signs of fatigue disappeared from her face. Beads of sweat evaporated in the air, scattering a heat haze.
============
The event has been updated! The Third Prince absolutely does not want Marigold to lose. He casts the seventh-rank spell, “Overflow.”
※The Third Prince’s mana will be consumed at a greater rate. Marigold’s vitality and mental strength will continuously be consumed. Her condition will greatly decline.
※From this point on, all damage Marigold receives will instead be paid with the Third Prince’s mana. (Remaining mana: 98%)
============
Just as expected.
Lancel had personally experienced the effects of Overflow in a long-ago iteration. In short, it was fucking awful.
“Nngh!”
Marigold convulsed as power surged into her.
The warmth vanished from Lancel’s eyes.
He had considered fighting moderately and letting her win. If that would make Marigold look good to the prince. If it would be the first step toward becoming a future imperial consort.
But he had changed his mind. That bastard needed to suffer before he came to his senses.
‘Third Prince, you crossed the line first.’
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