It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 33

 Chapter 33 :

One of the indoor sparring arenas prepared at the military academy.

Within an indoor space made of special materials designed to withstand the powerful strikes of knights, a sharp metallic sound echoes.

At the center of this are a blonde woman and a red-haired girl.

The red-haired girl is the one taking the offensive first.

Wielding a two-handed greatsword that seems too large for her frame, she swings it through the air toward the blonde woman.

However, the blonde woman skillfully deflects the continuous flurry of diagonal and horizontal strikes with impeccable defensive movements, then glares at the red-haired girl with fierce eyes and shouts:

"Foolish child! Is this all your so-called all-out attack amounts to?!"

"Ugh!"

Amidst the torrent of verbal lashings, the red-haired girl no, Seria grits her teeth and swings her sword.

Once again, a barrage of sword strikes rains down.

The force behind each swing is far from ordinary.

Each strike could split a boulder in two, fell a mighty tree, or carve the air with the scream of the wind.

But the blonde woman, Karen, effortlessly dodges Seria’s strikes with fluid movements, and in the end, delivers a powerful kick infused with overwhelming force to Seria’s abdomen.

"Guhh!"

Letting out a scream, Seria slides back and tumbles across the ground.

Looking down at Seria’s pathetic state, Karen roars like a demon:

"Foolish girl! Didn’t I tell you to always think about your next move?! Who would fall for your clumsy feints?!"

*Cough, cough!*

Seria, trembling as she struggles to stand, has blood trickling from her mouth.

The power in Karen’s kick just now was far from trivial.

As a knight, and one of the White Knights, renowned as the strongest, Karen’s strikes could shatter massive boulders in an instant or reduce a living bull to a pile of flesh.

The only reason Seria could withstand such a blow was the magical power coursing through her body, strengthening her.

But no matter how sturdy the armor, no one could remain unscathed after taking such an attack.

As evidenced by the blood dripping from her mouth, Seria’s body was already in tatters.

"How long do you plan to stay down?! Get up, you fool!"

Karen’s reprimands continue toward the battered Seria. Despite the pain and tears, Seria wipes the blood from her reddened face, grits her teeth, and forces herself to stand.

But the blow she just took left her legs too weak to support her.

Looking at Seria’s trembling legs, Karen glares with fiery eyes and says:

"And you call yourself a knight?! A knight stands at the forefront of soldiers, even with broken legs or twisted wrists! Who would follow a weakling like you?!"

"Ugh…"

"Or is that it? Are you some kind of suicidal fool? If so, give up now. Pack your bags and flee back to the countryside you came from. No matter how talented you are at controlling golems, with skills like that, you’ll only increase the body count. You’ll only add to the number of innocent people devoured by monsters!"

"No!"

At Karen’s relentless verbal assault, Seria screams in response.

Karen swings her sword through the air again and shouts:

"Then prove it! Prove that the weapon in your hands isn’t a toy sword for play but a blade that can cut down people and monsters! Show me your resolve!"

"……!"

At those words, Seria grits her teeth again.

She can’t give up here. If she gives up now, she might never see him again.

With that thought, she musters her last ounce of strength to prepare for a final strike.

A breathing technique to compensate for her waning strength.

Noticing the shift in Seria’s aura, Karen stops her verbal attacks and assumes a proper stance.

Her stance transitions from a horizontal guard to a preparatory position for a counterattack technique.

This is the ultimate technique that Seria has never once managed to overcome Karen’s signature move.

How many times had she been struck down by that technique, her waist sliced, tasting unbearable pain?

Seria’s eyes tremble with fear as she recalls it.

But she grits her teeth once more.

She can’t escape here.

She mustn’t escape here. Because if she does…

…she might never see Ragna again.

Clenching her teeth so hard they might break, Seria gauges the distance between herself and Karen.

A tense atmosphere fills the space between them. Then—

"---------!"

With a battle cry, Seria’s foot stomps the ground, propelling her forward. Using that momentum, her body shoots toward Karen like a fired bullet.

A primal scream reverberates through the enclosed sparring arena. With it, Seria unleashes a strike infused with every ounce of her strength from her prepared stance.

A horizontal slash from a one-character stance, aimed at the midsection.

It’s a technique on the same trajectory as the strike Karen is preparing.

And Karen, in turn, meets it with a horizontal slash of her own.

Their razor-sharp strikes fly toward each other.

But Seria’s strike ends in failure.

Was it because she rushed? Or did she misjudge the distance?

Her blade misses Karen’s body, slicing only the air.

"Foolish!"

As she watches the blue glint of Seria’s blade cut through nothing, Karen roars and swings her sword without hesitation. The strike seems poised to cleave Seria’s body. But at that moment—

"……!"

No, this wasn’t a mistake.

By the time Karen realizes it, Seria’s body is spinning like a top in her one-character stance. Her blade points skyward, as if to pierce the heavens.

The meaning is clear.

A feint!

Karen’s expression hardens slightly.

She may have underestimated Seria just a little.

If she hadn’t, she might have noticed something off about Seria’s footing during the horizontal slash, or that her balance was far more disrupted than expected.

But Karen didn’t notice. And now, she’s left herself wide open.

This was Seria’s true aim not the horizontal slash from the one-character stance, but a reverse spinning overhead strike, using the initial slash as a feint.

This strike could disrupt Karen’s timing, and even if Seria miscalculated and got her waist sliced, she could endure it and land a blow on Karen.

Trading flesh for bone.

This was the culmination of Seria’s cunning and determination an attack born of her resolve.

But—

"……!"

Even so, Karen is a knight worthy of the White Knight title. No matter the crisis, her mind remains calm, analyzing the situation and preparing her next move.

And now, it was Seria’s turn to be shocked.

"……!"

The overhead strike following the feint.

Even though it was a spur-of-the-moment tactic, it should have been threatening enough. But what followed left Seria stunned.

As the horizontal slash only grazed Seria’s waist due to the shift in distance, Karen simply let go of her sword.

The sword, released from her grip, rolls across the ground, clanging emptily in the air.

And with her hands now free, Karen moves them as if unshackled, lunging toward Seria.

Her hands form a shape commonly called a single-hand strike, or palm thrust.

Karen then slams her hand against the side of Seria’s blade—the part often called the spine.

"Agh!"

The violent vibration reverberates through Seria’s grip.

Her blistered hands, already gripping the sword tightly, tear open, and blood spurts out. Her blade slices through the air uselessly. Karen, having disrupted the sword’s trajectory with her palm strike, moves to Seria’s side and grabs her face.

"Argh!"

Seria lets out a shrill scream.

A crunching sound comes from Karen’s fingers.

As her grip digs in like a blacksmith’s tool, Seria thrashes and screams in pain. Karen then sweeps Seria’s legs from under her.

*Boom!*

With a loud crash, Seria’s body, now off-balance, tumbles to the ground.

Seria groans in pain.

Looking down at her, Karen says with a cold expression:

"Listen well. Relying solely on your sword in the heat of battle makes you a third-rate swordsman. Especially against monsters that charge in relying on their toughness. Wielding a useless iron club against them is nothing but a clown’s antics."

"Ugh…"

But Karen’s words don’t reach Seria.

As Seria writhes in pain, Karen lifts her foot and—

*Thud!*

"Guha!"

"Remember the pain! And think! A human whose balance is broken is as good as a corpse! Even so, think of what’s possible! Struggle to find what you can do! War is not child’s play! An enemy baring its fangs won’t wait for you to stand!"

"……!"

Amid the pain coursing through her body, Seria lets out a scream-like sob, frantically grabbing the leg that continues to stomp and strike her. She forcibly disrupts Karen’s balance.

*Crash!*

With a loud thud, Karen’s body tumbles to the ground this time.

Seria, her face a mess, glares at Karen.

But Karen, meeting Seria’s gaze, remains cold and says:

"Hm, good expression. And a fine choice. When your opponent stands while you’re down, disrupting their balance is key. In that sense, a tackle is an excellent technique. But—"

"……!"

As Seria lunges to gain the upper hand, Karen twists her body, grabs one of Seria’s arms, moves behind her, and twists it.

*Crack!*

"----!"

The sound of bones breaking.

Seria screams and thrashes desperately as pain shoots through her forearm and shoulder.

But Karen wraps her arm around Seria’s neck, choking her, and whispers in her ear:

"…Striking techniques work best at a distance of one foot or more. When the gap closes, fists lose their meaning. And in those moments, wrestling techniques are the most effective."

Karen tightens her grip, pressing on Seria’s throat.

Seria, struggling to break free, raises her relatively unharmed hand, claws raised, and frantically scratches at Karen’s arm in a primal fight for survival.

Her fingernails break, and blood from both of them mixes and drips from Karen’s forearm.

But despite Seria’s desperate resistance and the pain in her arm, Karen continues speaking to her:

"These techniques work especially well against humanoid monsters. Though they have unique physical traits, their joints are similar to humans, making such techniques effective. Don’t think of golems as mere puppets for swordplay in a market show. In battle, you must use every technique available, no matter how dirty."

"……!"

It’s an explanation delivered as kindly as a teacher in a classroom.

But whether it reached Seria or not…

"Urk… urk!"

Seria begins to choke, struggling to breathe.

Her swollen face and the eyes visible between her puffed-up eyelids slowly roll back.

In a final act of desperation, she flails her limbs wildly.

Then—

"……"

Her wrist falls limp to the ground.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, her body collapses lifelessly.

"……"

Only then does Karen release her chokehold on Seria’s neck. She lightly checks Seria’s pulse and stands up. At that moment—

"Good work. Here, a towel."

"…Thanks, Noel."

Karen takes the towel from a black-haired woman who approaches her and wipes the dust and blood from her body. Then—

"You’d better get Seria to a healing mage quickly. Her breathing’s faint."

"…Understood. Take Seria to the healing mage at once!"

At the words of the woman named Noel, workers who had been waiting nearby let out a startled "Eek!" and hurriedly carry Seria away on a stretcher. Watching them, Noel wears a troubled expression and says:

"…Isn’t that a bit too harsh? I don’t think it’s necessary to handle her that roughly…"

"Hm, is that the opinion of a master of Steiner-style swordsmanship?"

"…No, just the opinion of an academy instructor. It’s painful to watch my student get beaten that badly."

Karen chuckles lightly at Noel’s sulky response and says:

"Hm, I’ll consider it."

"…You’re not going to listen, are you?"

"Did I say that?"

"You’ve never listened to me when you say things like that."

Karen bursts into laughter again and shakes her head lightly.

"Well, I suppose that’s true?"

"So, are you really not going to ease up a bit?"

"Hm, what Seria needs right now isn’t experience handling golems or getting used to piloting them."

"What do you mean?"

"Seria’s talent is undeniable. It’s practically heaven-sent. Spending time getting accustomed to golem piloting or increasing her operation time is a waste of effort."

Noel frowns but nods in agreement.

From the moment Seria enrolled, she had far surpassed her peers in golem operation time. She even managed to pilot a Longsword-class golem, something her peers couldn’t even dream of moving.

Telling her to get used to piloting or increase her operation time was, quite frankly, pointless.

That’s why it was decided she’d study under a knight skilled enough to teach her. And that knight was none other than Karen.

"What she needs is pure swordsmanship and real combat experience. But we can’t just drag her to a battlefield and tell her to fight monsters with a golem. The only way is to hammer technique and experience into her through live combat like this."

A golem’s physical balance and joint structure are similar to a human’s. Not exactly the same, but close enough. Thus, a pilot’s swordsmanship and combat proficiency directly enhance their golem piloting.

"But even so, isn’t there a gentler way? Even with healing mages on standby, smashing her to pieces like this from her first day at the academy seems excessive."

"Well, back at the lumberyard, I couldn’t train her properly with so many eyes around. So I’m making up for it now. Besides—"

"…?"

"Steel grows stronger the more it’s hammered, and a warrior grows stronger each time their bones break and their flesh tears. You haven’t forgotten the teachings of Steiner-style swordsmanship, have you? Especially as the one who passed them down to me."

"…Even so, I think I was a bit more restrained."

"Hm, really?"

At Karen’s retort, Noel quietly averts her gaze.

It’s true that Steiner-style has a certain reckless streak.

And when Noel was teaching Karen those traditional Steiner techniques, she was still in her early twenties, full of youthful vigor. She might have been a bit harsh, even by her own standards.

But even so, it wasn’t to the extent Karen was handling Seria now.

Still, Noel knew that even if she brought this up, Karen wouldn’t listen.

With a sigh, Noel gave up trying to persuade her.

"…So, what now?"

"Hm? Is something up?"

"Well, there are kids saying they want to train under the great knight."

"Hm, that again?"

At Noel’s words, Karen frowns slightly. Noel sighs as well.

One-on-one training with a former White Knight.

It’s an offer any academy student would jump at.

But Karen had never trained anyone other than Seria. This led to murmurs around the academy why was Seria the only one receiving training? Couldn’t they get the same opportunity?

Those demands reached Noel, and as an academy instructor, she found it hard to refuse.

‘Honestly, if anyone saw this brutality firsthand, they’d shut up,’ Noel thought bitterly to herself.

But considering the honor of the great knight and Steiner swordsmanship, this training scene was not something to show off.

"…Tell them I’ll think about it."

"Understood."

Noel sighs again and nods. As expected, Karen’s “I’ll think about it” was a polite rejection.

"So, are you heading back for the day?"

"Probably. I’ve got some family matters to attend to."

"…Oh, right. It’s your new little brother’s matchmaking day, isn’t it? You must be worried as his big sister."

"Little brother?! I’m just his guardian!"

"Oh, why so flustered? Wait, could it be…?"

Noel gives Karen a mischievous look.

An older female great knight and a younger male knight.

It’s a picture-perfect couple.

"No way! Enough nonsense. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving."

"What? You’re not getting treated?"

"Hm, scratches like these heal in a day. No need to fuss."

Karen declares confidently.

But Noel sighs at her response. How can this woman be so lacking in femininity? No wonder men from other families are too intimidated to approach her. Despite her stunning looks that could turn heads if she showed a bit more charm.

If she’s not careful, the Steiner bloodline might end.

With that thought, Noel sighs again.

"Fine, but make sure to get treated properly. Those wounds could scar."

"Hm, I’ll keep it in mind."

Another sigh from Noel.

Unfazed, Karen adjusts her coat and leaves the training grounds.

Noel, too, gathers her things and follows.

________

With Noel’s send-off, Karen boards a carriage heading to the Steiner family estate.

It might seem pointless to ride a carriage when a knight could run faster.

In an era where a determined knight could outpace a carriage, it’s a fair question.

But carriages still exist for a reason.

A knight sprinting full-speed down a public road would be a nuisance.

Moreover, riding a carriage displays a family’s prestige and dignity.

Thus, carriages remain in use as a symbol of status.

Inside the swaying carriage, Karen idly flips through a book but soon loses interest, closing it with a *thud* and sighing.

Noel’s words keep circling in her mind.

Not about Seria, but about her new “little brother”…

Ragnar.

Seria recalls Ragnar’s words.

He had spoken with such brazen confidence:

“Is it okay if I ruin the match?”

Flustered, Karen had replied:

"Even so, you can’t just sabotage a match. It’s tied to the family’s honor."

A match is a matter of honor between families.

If one side causes trouble, it tarnishes the family’s reputation. When Karen explained this, Ragnar gave an intrigued look and said:

"Hm, then I’ll just make them reject me."

"Even if you do that, it’s fine, but… how?"

It was a valid question. Male knights are essentially a trump card for a family’s prosperity. Even for just one generation, they’re the best seed for producing talented knights. So, even if a man seems like a wreck, countless families would jump at the chance to marry him into their lineage.

Thus, getting rejected was no easy feat for someone like Ragnar.

But to Karen’s doubts, Ragnar just smirked and said:

"Just watch. I won’t cause any trouble."

And then…

______________

Karen lets out a light sigh and shakes her head as she arrives at the Steiner estate.

As she steps out, she hears heavy footsteps—*thud, thud*.

(Here we go again) she thinks.

She spots a young woman in a lavish dress, clearly a noble lady, storming toward her.

Behind her, a frantic maid tries to calm her mistress:

"My lady! Please, calm down! Do you know how much effort the viscount put into arranging this match?!"

"I don’t care! I absolutely won’t marry a man like that!"

"But what’s the problem? What exactly don’t you like?"

"I told you! Everything! Just… ugh, anyway, I’m not marrying him!"

Screaming, the noble lady who seems to be from a viscount’s family storms off. Her flustered servants scramble after her. Karen sighs lightly.

The first time she saw this, she was shocked, but now it’s starting to feel familiar.

This is, after all, the fourth time she’s witnessed this scene.

With that thought, Karen calmly reassures the estate’s panicked servants, leaves the cleanup to them, hangs her coat on a rack, and heads somewhere.

She stops at the estate’s parlor.

Steeling herself, she knocks on the door *knock, knock*.

Then, with a *creak*, she opens it and steps inside.

Inside, Ragnar, dressed in noble attire and looking slightly bored, turns to see Karen.

Noticing her, he flashes a light smile and says:

"Oh, you’re here, big sister?"

____________________

Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id