I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 76.1

Interlude:

One More Month… 

In the girls’ dormitory of Eckland Academy, four people sat in Lady Marcela’s room. They were Marcela herself and the other two members of the Wonder Trio, plus someone who had become a common sight in this room—the third princess, Morena. 

“So His Majesty and the Princes still do not know, yes?” asked Aureana. 

Morena shook her head emphatically. “Of course not. Meanwhile, the talk of assembling me a personal royal guard comprised of nine young ladies is going well. I’ve insisted on having someone who can guard me in places where gentlemen cannot be present, and when asked why I would limit it to young women, I explained that I, having few companions due to my position, needed someone to talk to. Furthermore, I argued it was for the best that a princess’s entourage make a striking impression. No one could question my logic. Once this first test unit is a success, I plan to recommend a second and third—one to accompany each of my sisters.” 

The fact that these units might fall short of a group of veteran male soldiers in terms of pure combat strength was of little import. All they had to do was be alert to danger; a scream or whistle would bring the nearby male guards running in mere seconds. If they could serve as the princess’s shield for those few scant moments, it would be more than enough. 

Marcela and company had more than proven their strength by escorting other upper-class ladies, they were friends of the princess, and many nobles were familiar with them. The noble families who wished to increase their own chances of coming into contact with Marcela—whom they would love to have marry their sons—approved of her involvement in the proposal. 

“All according to plan, then. The all-female royal guard unit will be established with the three of us at its center. And on the day it is officially launched, the three of us will immediately depart on Lady Morena’s orders to find the currently missing viscountess, Lady Adele von Ascham…” 

Nod. 

Grin. 

Mm-hmm! 

“As things stand, I will be betrothed to someone the moment I graduate, stuck in bridal training for two years, and married off the instant I turn fifteen. I will never stand for that! Especially not the possibility of being stuck as someone’s mistress!” proclaimed Marcela, shaking her head. 

Monika, likewise, shook her head. “I would be worked to the point of exhaustion as a water source and guardian mage for my family’s merchant parties and then ‘persuaded’ into marriage with some other family they wanted to make connections with.” 

“And I don’t see myself ever making enough money to pay back my scholarships, so I would just end up being made to work as a civil servant or a clerk for the academy. Lest I draw my whole family into financial ruin, I’d be stuck in a government position where I’d be exempt from repayment,” added Aureana. (Sadly, this country had no concept of personal bankruptcy for her to fall back on.) 

“We absolutely can’t afford to mess this up!!!” chorused the three. 

“O-of course!” Morena’s voice leapt in pitch at the surprising force of their insistence. “Gnngh!” She exhaled in frustration. “I want to go with you!” 

Of course, she could not, though her bitterness was clear. 

“Anyway,” Morena continued, “everything seems to be proceeding as planned, so we just have to be extra cautious not to let my father and everyone know the role the three of you will play in my guard. The nine-person unit will ostensibly be divided into rotating shifts of three apiece for when I go out, which presumes three shifts of three people each…” 

“But in truth, there will only be two shifts, and the remaining three will be out in the field full-time on a special assignment!” 

“That’s exactly right. Hee hee!” 

“Tee hee hee hee hee!” 

Their laughter filled the room. 

As far as Morena was concerned, it would be Marcela and Adele who married her two brothers, if at all possible. But it seemed Marcela had no interest in such a thing—nor did she have any interest in marrying the moment she turned fifteen. Morena had thus made this proposal to the Wonder Trio, with an eye to ensuring that no other nobles tried to make any passes at Marcela. 

I won’t be able to see them for some time, but we can write each other frequently…or rather, I can direct them to send me frequent “reports.” Then, in a few years, we can all live happily together with Lady Adele and dear Marcela as my dutiful sisters, and dear Aureana and Monika as my treasured friends… 

He he. He he he he he he… 

And as for Marcela… 

To have a wonderful adventure with Miss Adele… Why, five years could go by, and we’d still only be eighteen—still well within marriageable age! And we have nine years to go until we turn twenty-two, which is when we’d be cutting it close. 

If we receive a special mission from her Highness herself, complete her orders perfectly, and bring Miss Adele back home, it will only make us more valuable in the eyes of the fellows and of their families, so everything will be fine! 

And perhaps, in that time, the two princes will even forget about me. 

It would be a little rude of us to keep reporting that we’re still searching if we find Miss Adele right away. But we’ll bring her back safe in the end, so please forgive us, Lady Morena… 

They could send the necessary reports to Morena, but she would have no way to send letters back to them. Marcela and the others would have to take extra care to request that information about the senders of their letters and the places they were sent from be concealed. They could be gone for years, and there would be nothing that Morena could do about it. All she would receive would be regular reports along the lines of, “Location still unknown. Our travels continue without incident…” 

And as for Monika… 

My miserly father would never pass up the chance to cozy up to the royal family. Besides, if he refused a request to have me guard her Highness herself, he might come off seeming unpatriotic, which is a pretty fatal blow for any mercantile operation. I’m sure he’ll think this honor will only increase my eventual value as a bride, though unfortunately for him, I intend to seek out my own wonderful partner and lead a happy married life… 

She dreamt of a happy future. 

“ Teehee! Teeheeheeheeheehee… ” 

All four of the girls tittered. 

I’ve gotta keep on my toes! If I can’t manage, protect, and guide these airheads, then… 

Though she was smiling along with the others, Aureana’s brain was churning a mile a minute with more practical worries, such as: What sort of social status ought they to claim for themselves as three young girls traveling alone? How were they to supplement their travel expenses along the way? And how much could they report to the Crown and authorities of other countries in order to secure their aid, should they end up embroiled in any conflicts? 

“Anyway, there’s still one month to go.” After Morena departed, Marcela turned to Monika and Aureana. “It’s now been a year and seven months since Miss Adele vanished. Well, I mean, we have seen her again twice since then, but it was only for a few hours…” 

She was happy they’d been able to confirm Adele’s safety, but that had been a fleeting relief. Indeed, compared to the year and two months they had spent together, it had been but the blink of an eye. 

“As far as our position as hunters, a profession we took up just in case it might come in handy someday, considering Miss Adele’s movements, we’ve finally achieved C-rank,” said Marcela. 

“That was because you requested a C-rank promotion, with the fact that we wanted to take a guard job soon as a bargaining point, of course. The guild master’s face looked so pale. There’s no way he could refuse a request from the family of a marquis!” Monika chuckled in reply. 

“He did beg us not to take on any jobs other than escorting young ladies until we had more practice, though. He looked like he was going to cry…” Aureana said, smiling. 

The guild master, guild staff, and other hunters who knew of the Wonder Trio were certain the girls were merely rookie hunters who specialized in guarding young nobles, unsuited to jobs other than gathering herbs and hunting jackalopes. The truth, of course, was that the girls would never be satisfied with being hunters in name alone. At night, they studied monsters and battle techniques. They delved into new potential applications of magic, going beyond the “true form” that Adele had taught them. And on days off, when they had no other jobs, they went out into the nearby forest, experimenting and practicing with their new spells. Quickly abandoning the idea of fighting with swords and spears, they developed a unique style based on pre-emptive strikes with long-range attack spells, crafty tricks, and concealed knives. Their strategy relied on opponents underestimating them based on their appearances. 

Indeed, the three girls were preparing themselves not just to protect someone for a few seconds while help arrived but to actively participate in any combat that arose. Of course, they had no real battle experience, but they could get plenty of that once they were on the road.. 

“Miss Adele did have a saying about, ‘pretending to be a normal slime, while actually being a super-powered slime…’” said Marcela. Monika and Aureana both gave firm nods.