Otome Game Villainess? Who Cares? I Want Giant Mecha. 3

Otome Game Villainess? Who Cares? I Want Giant Mecha. 3

…

Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

…

The Academy was a bore and it offered me little outside of the classes that pertained to Chevaliers.

The vestiges of my past life granted me an impressive education. Though my past self hadn’t been of any particular importance, the education that he received was astounding. Most of those who were not of nobility were lucky to be able to read and do basic calculations. I knew several heirs of noble houses who struggled with both, because they lacked the will to study and perhaps tutors good enough to teach them.

The Academy was a means of the rulers of the realm to take stock of the upcoming generation, to connect with those who will become strong, and forge firmer ties with those who already are. However, they also sought to firmly educate and establish a baseline amongst all their nobility, who are their overseers of their faraway territories, which give them tribute, manpower, and assets in exchange of their rule over that territory.

They wisely not only made a place for connections to be forged between noble houses and the crown, but also a place to teach upcoming nobles, so that they do not bring ruin to their territory. While the lands of the crown were expansive and rich, to the point that a loss of a single territory and its bloodline would not be significant, it was still wise to not allow such a thing to happen. Those of greater territories, with industries and agriculture of significant importance to the realm, were kept an eye on, their heirs evaluated carefully, and threats made of their future if they do not meet the standards expected.

I was beyond anything that the Academy could teach, besides its classes regarding the Chevalier, and even there I enjoyed a significant advantage. Mathematics and bookkeeping were trifling affairs. The handling of logistical and economic matters was well within my grasp. My ability to read and write was without reproach, and frankly bordered on astounding to even my teachers. Military strategy on both the tactical and strategic scale was something that I not only understood, but experience on the field thanks to my days as a Chevalier.

In conclusion, my only wont within the Academy was to study, learn, and craft projects to empower my personal Chevalier. I wished to become strong and skilled with the great machine of war that I could call my own. Any other class was a waste of my time, and I had no need to connect with any of my peers, as I and the House Baude were rising in the ranks thanks to my contributions on the field and my suggestions based on my prior life’s knowledge.

My plan was to simply spend the days lazing about, studying what I wished, until I could go forth and hunt giant monsters within my beloved Chevalier once again. I was to simply be prim, proper, and weave through the various challenges presented by the Academy like a gentle spring. I would, of course, achieve as much as I could to as empower myself and my house, but I would not do any more than that.

All I wished to do was quietly, efficiently pass the days away until I could return to my calling.

Battling fearsome monsters within an impeccable war machine of my construction.

However, much to my chagrin, I found myself embroiled in an inane squabble between children.

Had I truly been a peer of all others in the Academy, I would’ve found the matter of great importance, but in observance of my past life and my experience in battle… I could barely stand the incessant squabbling that erupted mere moments after the entrance ceremony of my school.

…

Clarisse’s entire world shattered and broke at the sound of a heel clicked against the lecture room’s floor and silenced the entire lecture room. The jeers, stares, and awful faces that had plagued her the entire class, which threatened to boil over as class ended and all within waited for their professor to arrive, was utterly obliterated as the most singular existence in the Academy deigned to simply move.

The Heiress of House Baude, Lenore the Lady of Chivalry, had risen and nothing else in the world mattered.

At the Academy, while other heirs and heiress of Dukedoms rivalled her in titles, and the Crown Prince and the heirs of the Heigh Houses held the advantage… none rivalled Lady Lenore of House Baude in merits.

She stood with her Order of Chevaliers against the Fifteenth Insurrection of the Arachnids, which threatened the northern territories, and carved out the heart of an Arachnid queen and helped force the malign creatures back to their lands.

For that achievement, she was called the Slayer of Spiders.

She battled against the giants of the south, who wielded not only immense size, but also magics of undeath that granted them control over immense constructs of bone and power that could shatter city walls. Lady Lenore hid in the sands for hours as the battle was fought, until the immense necromancers came forth to reinforce their legion of undead, and she came upon them with a spear and a scimitar until none were left standing.

For that, she gained the title of Bane of Undeath.

She also fought against rogue Chevaliers, who spat upon their codes and vows, so that they might extract women, power, and wealth from the lands they patrolled. Lady Lenore fought against the two lieutenants of the rogue order’s Commander, while her own dueled against his peer. Not only did she defeat both of her foes, she came to the assistance of her commander, and threw a spear that gave the opening to the opposing commander’s demise.

For that, she gained the title of Lady of Chivalry, which superseded all titles that came before and after she gained fame from more and more battles.

Clarisse knew this even as a commoner for Lady Lenore was considered a hero across the realm. Taverns were filled with songs of a lady born not for dances and pageantry, but for the sake of justice and chivalry. Her feats in battle, her beauty, and her strength became stories which resounded throughout all the realm. A mere duke’s daughter who wished to play at being a Chevalier would’ve never earned a single title, let alone, nearly two dozen, along with commendations and honors from the Crown itself.

Clarisse felt her heart race as the knightly woman stood from her seat and her blood thundered in her head as she listened to the young woman her age, but with far more merit, speak.

“How utterly ridiculous. Is this what my generation is? Maws filled with jeers and insults, despite having nothing but noble blood running through their veins?” Lenore strode with proper elegance, but it was swallowed up by her power and might. Clarisse practiced how to properly walk for days, and she saw that the Lady of Chivalry was doing it properly, but that mattered not when Lenore gave off the aura of a predator prepared to pounce, especially with the saber at her waist that denoted her rank and prestige, as the sole Chevalier amongst them all. “You all belittle our fellow student, while you have no merits of your own. Pray tell, if you wish to demean her, do so through merit or be silent!”

The classroom filled with nobility went silent at her words. Not a single one spoke against Lenore because none of them could hope to overcome her. She had merit, fame, influence, and beauty in spades, while the rest of the class claimed only their lineage for worth and power. Even the uniforms that they were given, simple black skirts, vests, and white formal shirts, bemoaned by many noble heiress since the start of the Academy, looking flattering upon her form which was both buxom and toned by training.

When no one spoke against her, Lenore turned her gaze upon Clarisse.

“You there, commoner. You have been accepted into this Academy. You shall be forgiven for your poor display and lack of spine today, but know that you shame yourself and all others who’ve reached the Academy by their merits by being so meek! You are here because you have been found worthy!” Lady Lenore loomed over her with arms crossed and Clarisse suddenly found her mouth to be very, very dry at the very attractive and tall woman looming over her with crossed arms and a firm glare. Her heart sped up in a manner that it never did before… and some part of her wanted to surrender and give up for something that she didn’t understand. “Know that I protect you now, but you must protect yourself in the future! Gain merits and prove your worth, or be ousted from this place!”

With that declaration, Lenore turned on her heel and walked back to her chair.

Clarisse couldn’t help but stare at the sway of her hips, the strength in her form, and the sheer power exuded by the Heiress of the House Baude… not even paying a single mote of attention to the dispersal of her cowed bullies and the arrival of the professor.

All Clarisse could think of… was how she needed to do everything in order to stay in the school and continue to interact with Lady Lenore. Her mind was awhirl with what she needed to do, from studying, to learning how to use her “rare” power, and becoming a powerful Chevalier herself… but not too powerful.

No.

Clarisse gulped and did her best to suppress her blush, as the professor began the lesson.

The short-haired blonde with a flower-clip in her hair cast a furtive gaze on the stunning, statuesque beauty to the far left of the lecture room. Her thoughts suddenly swam with fantasies of being defeated by Lady Lenore in combat and being held at saber-point fresh from a battle of Chevaliers. The Lady of Chivalry standing over her with a face of contempt, hair wet and matted instead of drill-locks, stirred something primal and needy within Clarisse that drove her note-taking hand and brain to take in every word of the lecture.

She wanted to grow strong, powerful, and overcome all the challenges the Academy put before her… except for Lady Lenore.

Clarisse swallowed thickly after recalling that the suits worn by Chevalier were oh-so-very-thin and tight on the figure… and she had to swallow again after her brain replaced the saber in her former thought with a riding crop.

Yes.

Indeed.

The commoner picked for her intelligence and rare ability swallowed thickly again and again, as fantasy after fantasy took over her mind.

She needed to stay and become strong… but just strong enough to become Lady Lenore’s.

Thus, Clarisse fell.

…

I expected little from the saber-training of the Academy.

For that reason, I found myself hard-pressed by my foe.

The instructor had summoned me forth to duel all those willing, and those who thought themselves talented, in order to make a show of force.

Most of the class was defeated by me with ease, even those who strode forward confident that they could overcome me outside of my Chevalier, and so I became lax.

Then, the son of an Earl from the east came forth, and I found myself hard-pressed.

The eastern lands of the Crown were constantly plagued by barbarian tribes and beastmen from the mountain ranges. The territories there did not often call for the help of Chevaliers, because they fared poorly in the narrow valleys and terrain of the vast mountain ranges that guarded the Crown from large-scale attack from the east.

Still, the fertile plains past those mountains fed the entire realm through massive fields of grains, herds of animals, and many orchards that supped upon the rains and the rivers that fell when the snows melted. Many mountain tribes since time immemorial wished to take that land, to seize it from the lords of the East, and so war and skirmishing was constant there between bands of light infantry and skilled cavalry.

Thus, I was best by a black-haired and stern-faced lad with a scar from forehead to chin over one of his eyes.

His strikes with the saber were quick, fast, and efficient mastery of the Crown’s vaunted dueling forms, but behind that was years of experience of fighting, and wielding another, larger, and far more dangerous weapon meant to cleave through Orc-hide.

My mastery of the saber form was laudable, but my lack of experience meant I lacked the correct muscle memory and reflexes to overcome his experience and own instinctive reactions.

I knew that my form was perfect, that I did everything right, and that I was superior in terms of skill… but his skill was polished enough that his experience through hundreds of battles carried him through.

My blood boiled as we fought, as I parried one blow after another to try and surmount him, and launched my own attacks to be parried. The entire room, save for my foe and the dueling grounds, ceased to be as I found myself looking only upon my foe as he confronted me… and my blood boiled as I came to a realization.

We’d been fighting for five minutes, and I felt sweat coursing through my body, while my breathing was harsh.

He, meanwhile, breathed steadily and was bereft of sweat.

The frown that he had on his face, even while I glared and grit my teeth at him, wasn’t aimed at me.

He was looking upon the weapon he wielded because he found it wanting.

Never before did I feel such a need to defeat another person. Fighting in my Chevalier was good, honest fun that aided the Crown and benefited me. However, fighting against the nameless heir of an Earl and seeing him unbothered by me, but bothered by his weapon… irked me to no end!

My heart raced, my eyes could see nothing but him, and so I lashed out at him with all my speed and strength.

He evaded by a simple duck, and then pressed the tip of his saber against my heart, where the tip red a single, red mark on my fencing vest.

The instructor was sure to have said something, and I was vaguely aware of the class clapping fervently after the display, but all that I could witness was my foe.

He gave me a proper bow, a thanks for the battle, and nothing less.

And… nothing more.

A great flame burned within my chest at that knowledge whilst I bit my lip in frustration.

I have many projects I wished to pursue for the sake of my Chevalier, but I… I was going to defeat that nameless boy as well!