I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Noble, and I Swear I'll Protect the Villainess Who Got Married Off to Me No Matter What ~To Dodge Our Total Downfall, I Went All Out Training My Trash Skill [Super Recovery] Through Crazy Hard Work, and Before I Knew It, I Could Totally Wreck the Game Protagonist Who Condemned My Wife Easily - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Breaking First Imperial Princess Leticia’s Trap and Saving the Whole Family

“…Huh? W-wow! Zenon’s strength is way beyond what I imagined! [Super Recovery]—isn’t that a magic-type skill!?”

Alfin, the sword master, seemed to have instantly figured out how strong I was just from the feel of my hand when we shook.

The things you can read from a handshake actually cover a surprising amount of ground.

“Yeah, it is a magic-type skill, but…”

“Eh!? And yet you’ve got this kind of muscle and core strength!? Zenon, aren’t you already on the same level as Father!?”

Alfin’s face lit up like the sun.

“…I see… so that really was the case.”

Father let out a low groan too.

“My dream has always been to become the world’s greatest swordmaster, surpassing even the Sword Saint… but Zenon, who’s got such high aptitude for magic too, might actually go even further! All right, let’s keep training hard together from now on!”

“If I’m training with you, Alfin, I feel like I could climb to even greater heights.”

Training together with Alfin, huh.

Sounds like really fun days are coming.

But right after that, Alfin’s expression suddenly darkened.

“…Ah, wait—do we have a mirror anywhere? Like… did I grow wings or a tail or something on my body? M-my face didn’t get all weird too, right!?”

“You’re fine. Nee-san is the most beautiful girl ever!”

I declared it with total confidence.

“Ehh, exactly! Here, take a look.”

Valeria pulled out a small hand mirror and held it up for her.

“…Ahh, aahh, thank goodness~! O-okay, this is safe. Wait… actually, aren’t these horns kinda cool? Don’t they give off serious world’s-greatest-swordmaster vibes?”

Instead of being upset, Alfin touched the horns sprouting from her forehead and gave this little “mufu~” satisfied smirk, clearly pleased.

I was honestly shocked.

W-wait… could it be that she’s the same as me? Someone who totally gets the appeal of dragon girls?

No way… there’s actually a kindred spirit in this world! And it’s my own dragon-girl big sister—what could possibly make me happier than this?

“…I really gotta thank the gods.”

“Ehh, Zenon, I’m so glad for you.”

I murmured it quietly, and Valeria gently snuggled up against my side.

“Thanks, Valeria. This happiness right now… it’s all because you helped me.”

Then it suddenly hit me.

Oh yeah—Alfin, the one who dreams of becoming the world’s number-one greatsword master, has always been really self-conscious about looking like a baby-faced little kid despite being eighteen.

Because she looks more like a middle-schooler, enemies often mistake her for a mere sword apprentice instead of a proper general and underestimate her… which always made her furious.

But now that she’s got dragon horns, wings, and everything, the mismatched “super-strong” aura it gives off seems to make her happy instead.

The perfect blend of strength and cuteness is exactly what makes dragon girls so irresistible, after all. Yep, yep.

“…Is that really okay? With that appearance, won’t people be scared of you…?”

Father frowned worriedly as he watched Alfin.

“Oh come on, Father. Being underestimated as some little girl is way worse than being feared, obviously! Now no one’s gonna make fun of me anymore! Look at this tail, these wings—don’t they scream ‘strong’!?”

“B-but… what about finding a husband…?”

For a split second I almost got mad, thinking he was still treating Nee-san like a monster, but then I remembered: in this world, a girl’s happiness is basically defined by getting married.

Father’s seriously thinking about Alfin’s future happiness—that’s why he’s worried.

“I’m not getting married. I’m gonna stay by Zenon’s side and support him as lord of the territory, so I’m training to become the world’s greatest swordmaster. This is actually perfect for me!”

“I-I see…”

Father’s face looked pretty complicated.

But it seemed like Alfin had genuinely come to like her new self.

That made me happy from the bottom of my heart.

If she’d been crying her eyes out or something, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy living with her at all.

“Yeah. Alfin is super cute and super cool! Nee-san is the absolute best!”

“You really get it, don’t you, Zenon! I’m never gonna lose to anyone again. From now on, for the rest of my life, I’ll always be your strength!”

Alfin and I held hands and jumped around like little kids.

To be honest, I’ve always wanted her to stay close forever, so hearing she won’t get married was exactly what I hoped for.

…Though the “rest of my life” part feels just a tiny bit heavy…

I want Alfin to live freely, you know.

“…Lord Baldo, Alfin-oneesama’s wings and tail can be hidden under clothing. The horns can even be disguised as accessories, so I believe her debut into high society will still be possible.”

Valeria, who had been staring intently at Nee-san, spoke up to Father.

“If Lady Valeria says so, then I can relax for now.”

Father let out a relieved breath.

Oh right—Alfin’s social debut was still ahead of her.

Attending parties and balls where royalty and nobles gather isn’t just for fun; it’s how noble houses build connections and exchange information.

Even if she doesn’t marry, as a noble she still has to do it.

So yeah, whether dragon-girl Alfin could pull that off was definitely something to worry about.

“…Eh? Wait a second—who are you? Zenon, isn’t this an insanely beautiful girl!?”

“Actually, she is—”

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Alfin Greivan. I am Valeria, daughter of Duke Asphodel Ernst. I am Zenon’s fiancée.”

“…Huh?”

Valeria gracefully pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied, and Alfin’s eyes went completely blank.

“W-wait!? What’s going on, Zenon!? Asphodel—that’s one of the houses tied to the royal family, right!? What the heck is happening!?”

Alfin grabbed me by the collar and started shaking me back and forth.

Whoa—being shaken by dragon-girl strength hurts, and my neck seriously feels like it’s gonna snap.

“My father insisted very strongly, and so our engagement was arranged. I myself take great pride in being Zenon’s fiancée. I would be very happy if you would treat me kindly as your little sister-in-law.”

“To become friends with the daughter of Asphodel—the kingdom’s sword—I’m thrilled too! I’ve always wanted to cross blades with someone from Schwarz Ritter at least once! Hey, hey—are you a swordswoman too!?”

Alfin, pure battle maniac that she is, was completely hyped.

Valeria looked a little taken aback, but if the two of them become friends, that’s exactly what I want too.

…Alfin has never really had any female friends before.

All she ever talks about is surpassing Father and becoming the world’s greatest swordmaster, and she’s spent her life surrounded by rough guys out here on the frontier.

She never really clicked with other women, so I was a bit worried about that.

But someone like Valeria, who’s been training since childhood as the crown prince’s bodyguard, might actually get along with her.

“Valeria. Nee-san is… a little unusual, but no one is more pure-hearted about mastering the sword. I’d be really happy if you two could be friends.”

“Of course! Alfin-oneesama, the Asphodel ducal house is also a martial lineage. I think it’s very noble and dignified that you walk the path of the sword and stand on the battlefield as a warrior.”

Valeria nodded.

Nice—this makes me happy. There might be a bit of polite flattery in there, but it seems like Valeria genuinely sees Alfin in a positive light.

“…Sigh. I never imagined all my precious chimera soldiers would get wiped out.”

Just then, First Imperial Princess Leticia walked over, shrugging her shoulders.

We immediately got into fighting stances.

Right—our biggest goal was to take down this witch, the supreme commander of the imperial army.

“I lose. I’ll surrender cleanly.”

“What…?”

I was completely floored.

Wait—hold on.

I’d been so caught up in reuniting with Alfin that I’d totally forgotten about Leticia, but… why didn’t this woman run away earlier?

Plus, the imperial soldiers around us were retreating too.

A really bad feeling crawled up my spine.

“Giving up already, Leticia? Hmph. I don’t accept surrender. That head of yours is mine.”

“…Fine by me. Would you be so kind as to finish me off in one blow, Sword Saint?”

Leticia stepped toward Father and spread both arms wide, completely defenseless—like she was waiting for a lover’s embrace.

My skin prickled all over.

No way.

A flash of knowledge from the original game streaked through my mind.

That’s right—later in the story, Leticia used an extremely detailed ‘golem’ that looked exactly like her as a body double.

What if… just like the chimera soldiers… that thing was already complete?

Come to think of it, throughout this whole battle she only ever used illumination magic. That’s standard equipment for golem soldiers.

So her real target… was Father’s life…?

My body moved before my brain even finished the thought.

“Father—watch out!!”

I kicked off the ground and slammed a full-power kick straight into Leticia’s stomach.

DOGOOO!!

What hit the bottom of my foot felt hard as iron. Nothing like the soft skin of a young woman.

Leticia’s body flew backward like a kicked ball.

“Get down!!!”

“Zenon!?”

I shoved Valeria and Alfin to the ground and screamed.

Did I make it in time!?

“Heh, as expected. I will definitely make you mine, Zenon.”

The corner of Leticia’s mouth curled up.

Right after, her body swelled up like a balloon—and exploded.

KAAAHHHHH!!!!!

The world turned pure white and a deafening blast tore through our eardrums.

“Impossible—a self-destruct!?”

“Kyaaaaaaa!!?”

Father was also knocked flat by the shockwave but had managed to drop prone.

Thanks to my warning, everyone got into a defensive position in time and we were safe.

The fallen apprentice brothers seemed to have gotten away with only light injuries too, thankfully.

“The one here wasn’t the real First Imperial Princess Leticia—it was a small golem made to look exactly like her!”

“Amazing, Zenon—you saw through it perfectly!”

Valeria, still wrapped in my arms, let out an excited cheer.