Otome Game Villainess? Who Cares? I Want Giant Mecha. 9

Otome Game Villainess? Who Cares? I Want Giant Mecha. 9

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Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

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They were growing stronger, and though I found that just fine, I found my companions beginning to struggle.

My memories from my previous life informed me that if my Chevalier Order was disbanded due to losses, I could find myself in a teaching role, and so I endeavored to ensure that my fellows would not fall in the coming battles. Had I been a normal lady, even with all my talent and skill, I would’ve found it difficult to convince my male colleagues.

Pride would’ve gotten the best of them, and I would’ve been incapable of surmounting that pride, but I used my memories to my advantage… and simply began giving advice and improving things of my own volition. My past life told me not to search for recognition, not to try and appear superior, and simply be kind and worried if I could manage to do so. If confronted and told not to speak, I would do so, and move on… and my past memories assured me that the situation would solve itself within a few days and a very clumsy apology.

A deliberately clumsy apology for “cuteness” factor.

I had my misgivings, doubting my past memories, but within two weeks I found myself the center of advice for men my age and even men older than I.

“How do I move faster?”

“How do I puncture the new creature’s plate more effectively?”

“How do I kill these things more quickly?”

The questions were coarse, simple, and it should’ve been below their station to ask. They were Chevaliers, the nobility of the Kingdom, and they should’ve known better… but at that moment I understood my past’s machinations. Ingratiating myself as a source of knowledge without distinction and free of bias allowed them to look past me as a superior and a lady. By becoming a simple resource, their pride and concern was circumvented, and they were more eager to listen.

And, with such a willing audience, I found myself blessed with a gift:

The opportunity to design more giant robots according to the tools and talents of specific pilots.

I adored my finely-crafted weapons of immense destruction, but all this time I yearned to design more for others to perfectly suit them. Mass production models had their place, and they were wonderful bases, but true giant robots were characters themselves. They wore battle scars with pride, their persona weapons shone in the battlefield, and the absolute best would be known globally by silhouette alone.

My past memories spoke to me of grand icons known to all brought to life solely through ink and paper.

But here and now, I had the chance to craft them myself against a terrible foe.

I can make those legends real.

And, so, with great gusto and aplomb, I threw myself at a renewed passion as war raged on.

I didn’t need to be any sort of chosen one.

I was a Chevalier and I thought that was enough for me.

But, without a semblance of a doubt, I now wanted to be the creator and facilitator of legendary Chevaliers that will be spoken of for centuries thereafter. From a merely fulfilling my dream… to sending that dream down to someone else in the far future to becoming as enamored as myself.

I wanted that to happen more than anything.

…

Godfrey Ashdown paused in his training as a familiar face crossed his vision.

“Lady Clarisse… no… Honorary Saint Clarisse.” Godfrey planted his sword into the ground and gave his former classmate a bow. The last few weeks at the Capital had him learn quickly in regards to how to treat other nobles. He memorized what was needed, did what was required of him, and spent the rest of his time doing what he was meant to: fighting until he needed rest and recuperation before he fought again. “Do you have need of me?”

Godfrey glanced over his former classmate and couldn’t help but feel that he was looking at a completely different person.

“Please, give me a moment, Johanna and Beatrice. Don’t worry, he’s a good friend of mine.” Clarisse spoke with confidence and grace that he associated with higher nobility than a scholarship student. Godwin was very aware of the threatening glares sent his way by the two holy knights that guarded the young woman. She had them completely and utterly at her mercy. The young man wondered what she went through over the last few weeks, how strong she’d become, once given all the time she and training she wanted at the expense of the Crown. “I see that you haven’t changed at all, Lord Ashdown. You are still training and growing stronger.”

“Most people can’t change within a few weeks, unlike you.” Godfrey allowed himself to loosen up before the young woman he was knew, but only so much. From the very start, he was aware of Clarisse’s strangeness. The fact that she was wearing a holy habit and had a slew of holy artifacts meant nothing to him. He still saw the devotion and unshakable determination in her eyes. “We’re all normal like that.”

“Oh, you’re so silly Lord Godfrey. I’m as normal as can be.” Clarisse spoke and smiled. The smile reached her eyes, but not a single mote of joy appeared in her deep and unflinching gaze. Godfrey recalled his last battle, where he took on a champion of the dwellers of the deep, and saw the fear and terror in its eyes as he put it and its guards to the sword. In that alien thing, he saw emotion that he couldn’t imagine seeing in the blonde’s own eyes. “It’s been quite difficult getting used to my new role, as I imagine is the case for you.”

The Chevaliers fought in the fields, but they were rarely deployed in cities. The immense constructs could easily destroy a city as they waged war against an enemy. Only in truly dire situations, or in places constructed to withstand their might, were Chevaliers deployed in cities. In other words, whatever the Chevaliers could not destroy were left for warriors on foot or on horseback, such as Godfrey.

“A battle is a battle. I have fought my whole life. A different foe is just another foe to face.” Godfrey walked towards a bench and allowed himself to divest himself of sweat. A faint chill went up his spine as he did, as he felt a gaze settle on his back. He returned the glare from its source. The only reply he received was the slightest tilting of the head. He was tempted to let it go, but instead chose to pursue it. What kind of warrior would he be, if he backed down from this? “Lady Baude cannot sense your gaze, but I can. If you keep staring at me with such eyes, I will keep you away to the best of my ability.”

“Oh, but you don’t care when Lady Baude does the same.”

“She searched me for weakness most of all. There was an attraction there, but it was less than her wish to defeat me.” Godfrey grunted and recalled the memories of training with the only individual who had the talent and drive to face him in combat at the Academy. He found the memories to be refreshing, especially as he was typically surrounded by individuals who thought him lesser for his faraway home, despite all his accomplishments. He yearned for the day that everything returned to being simply about training and growing strong. “She was just being a young woman as well as a warrior of high caliber.”

Godfrey recalled his time back home. Both men and women fought in battles to protect the rest of the Kingdom, as their foes did in the mountain paths and valleys. Attraction was simply a part of life, individuals sought out one another, and they formed relationships which could lead to marriage and partnership. However, he was also aware of rivalries and competition in feats of strength and valor between two warriors. And, he knew that Baude was a warrior first and foremost in her Chevalier.

He nodded at that simple acknowledge before speaking once more.

“I have no interest in such things. A war has come for the Kingdom and it is time for me to accrue glory and fame for the sake of my lineage.” Godfrey thought of current circumstance, of the undersea monsters they now fought, and thought of what he could do to help his own people in his new duties. He was called to fight for the King after showcasing his skills, which was a goodly position to have. However, now, it was more than just a title and position. It was a chance for him to earn more for his family and bring it to greater heights than he thought possible with his lifetime. His father concurred and he strove to be the best he could be in the here and now. “I suggest you do the same. Perhaps, if you prove mighty enough, then you’ll be able to pursue what your heart desires and crush all who oppose it underfoot.”

Godfrey awaited Clarisse’s response, only to be surprised as the young lady walked forward until she was entirely bathed in his shadow with her too-wide smile and unflinching, deep gaze.

“…But I desire Lady Baude at her best, Lord Ashdown. When she’s struggling, desperately, to rise up and oppose an insurmountable foe like you. How can I get what I want… when she’s not struggling in the least against the current foe?” A gloved finger reached for him and Godfrey held back the urge to grab the offending hand it was connecting to. Instead, he took a swift step back and levelled a glare at the short-haired blonde, whose features held a distinct flush as she stared at him but saw someone else far past him. “How can I get what I want when she’s leaving you in the dust, while you just train with a sword, as she creates new Chevaliers and wins battle after battle? No. I can’t get what I want… if things stay as they are.”

Godfrey narrowed his gaze and met the yearning hunger withing the honorary-Saint’s eyes… and let loose a sigh.

“I care not for your depravity, but I would be a fool to not take your assistance in gaining more glory for my family and home.” Clarisse unsettled him, but Godfrey knew of Clarisse’s ability. She had drive, power, and influence in spades. No ordinary person could’ve risen in the ranks of society as quickly as her, or become so skilled in such a limited amount of time. He was aware that he was limited in his skills and his chances of growing in fame was fading as the monsters from the depths were being beaten back by Chevaliers. “An alliance of circumstance is acceptable to me and I find no issue in rivalling Lady Baude through my accomplishments.”

With those words, Clarisse clapped her hands together and her too-wide-smile faded into one that was more charming and whimsical... However, her eyes sharpened and her brow narrowed as lost herself in thoughts and future plans.

“Yes. That’s grand. Thank you. Then, we’ll work together to get what we both want. All you need to do is come when I call for you to fight against the enemy.” Clarisse spoke and curtsied with the same grace that many noblewomen took lifetimes to perfect, as Godfrey gave her a nod of acknowledgement and turned back to his task. “Good luck on learning how to use your new Chevalier, Lord Baude… I must say that it’s quite the wonderful looking machine.”

For the first time in weeks, Godfrey found himself chuckling.

“If only its pilot can use it properly.” Godfrey had watched the Lady Baude fight in her Chevalier. Though his teachers praised him, he knew that he was nowhere close to his former rival. Only in close quarters was his massive machine a threat to anything and that was because his skills with his sword carried over. If not for those skills, he would be an amateur piloting a grand treasure. “Farewell, Honorary Saint, I will be sure to give my all towards mastering the Chevalier as you’ve asked.”

A light laugh, much like wind chimes resounded through the training grounds as Clarisse made her exit.

Godfrey drowned the sound from his mind as he struck against his targets once again, before the day he would spend learning how to pilot his Chevalier.

In the back of his mind, he imagined the great weapon Lenore wielded with such easy grace, as he struck against his targets with his training blade. The speed, grace, and agility of her war machine was unparalleled, but they shone brightly because of her way of fighting with as minimal effort exerted as possible.

Godfrey knew that he had more stamina, greater strength, superior reflexes, and far more endurance… so perhaps he only needed the speed.

The sooner he arrived before the enemy, the sooner he would be able to use his true strength, and destroy what was before him with the new blade that he was granted.

Yes, he envisioned it, and found it good.

The excess armor, the weighty shield, and most of the long-ranged weapons should be stripped from his Chevalier. All he needed was a decently-protected frame, his sword, and a single, powerful weapon he could use once and discard as needed. His family used a blunderbuss, and some of the strongest carried a cannon for a single shot, and scaled up to the size of Chevaliers such a weapon would prove a grand boon for a forward charge with his blade.

Stories abounded about Lady Baude and her Ivory Star, a Chevalier that danced above battlefields, smashes through the enemy with ease, and returned to towns immaculate and untouched by war. Songs of her abounded across the Kingdom, just weeks after the first battle, and without a doubt, she was to become a legendary figure in this war. In order to challenge her, to stand on the same pedestal as her, Godfrey knew that he needed to take risks, become stronger, and accrue just as many achievements.

The thought of it lit a flame in Godfrey’s heart and washed away the budding discontent he’d borne since the capital was relieved by Chevaliers.

With each swing his breathing eased and his mind cleared, as he set himself forward onto a new path.

In this war against monsters that threatened the Kingdom, he would become a legendary Chevalier himself.