From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob: This Villainess Will Cross-Dress to Impress! Volume 1 [Parts 1 to 3] by Masamune Okazaki

Author:Masamune Okazaki
Language: eng
Format: epub

An American Touch

One day, at twelve years old, I was just about to start my daily swordsmanship training when my instructor got my attention and introduced me to a man he’d brought with him. His name was Gried, and he was a faculty member of the Knight Cadets Corp—just like my instructor. Apparently, he’d come to watch me train.

Gried looked a little...unkempt compared to my instructor. Or maybe “unsophisticated” was a better word?

Still, he had a fantastic physique. His chest was broad, and his arms were brawny. Both his upper and lower body were well-toned, and I admired how strong his core looked. With his low center of gravity, opponents would have a hard time knocking him off his feet. What’s more, he maneuvered with perfect efficiency. I’d have a long way to go before I could ever compete with him.

Before I’d even realized what I was doing, I was giving him the old up-and-down. I wasn’t alone, though—he was returning the gesture. I could feel his penetrating gaze as he appraised me.

After warming up a bit with my brother, I sparred with my instructor. That might’ve sounded like a big deal, but I’d actually been sparring with him regularly. I’d started beating him at some point last year, and these days, I was able to beat him handily. Today was no different.

After our sparring ended, my instructor gave me a bow and walked towards me. “Lady Elizabeth, I have nothing more to teach you.”

For a moment, I was at a complete loss for words. I turned over what he’d just said in my mind, considering the potential good and bad implications. I decided to start with the bad ones.

“Uh... So, am I expelled from my lessons?”

“No.”

“Then, are you saying I’ve achieved full mastery?”

“No, I’m afraid I’m not skilled enough to help you reach that. But I will say this—with your level of proficiency, you should be a tutor, not a pupil. You’re more than qualified enough.”

“You mean I could be an assistant instructor?”

“That’s right.”

It all made sense now: today’s spar was a test, and Gried was here to be a witness to it. No wonder he’d been giving me such probing looks.

Still, the thought of becoming an assistant instructor didn’t quite feel real yet. I mean, how could it? The only people I’d ever properly sparred with were my older brother and my instructor. I had no real way to measure my strength, but I was convinced that my martial prowess was lacking when it came to real combat.

I need to apply myself to my training more, I thought, reaffirming my resolve.

“That’s why I’ll be taking my leave,” my instructor said.

“Wait, what?”

I was completely taken aback. Still, I had to admit: I was a better duelist than him now. When I’d first started beating him, I thought he’d possibly been letting me win out of deference to my noble status. But tellingly, my brother—who underwent the same training I did—routinely lost to him.

As an aspiring love interest, I had to be strong—and not just kind of strong, but really strong.

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