The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 7
EP.7 Children of The Emperor (1)
Lately, I’ve been realizing just how ridiculously overpowered my ability to turn back time was.
Ah, of course, to anyone else, this might sound like nonsense. After all, the mere idea of having the power to erase my mistakes would naturally reek of unfairness. What I meant to say was that the range of applications for this ability was unbelievably wide. As anyone who possesses this power would instinctively think, it can be used to correct mistakes.
For example…
“Eek!”
“Huh…?”
…like when my ‘stepbrother’ suddenly slashed me with his sword.
In the original story, Claire was supposed to become one of the Emperor’s children. She would end up being one of the evil commanders, wielding a ‘whip-like sword,’ who was highly favored by the Emperor—a trope often seen in Japanese subcultures.
Now, when I said a whip-like sword, I didn’t mean that the blade was flexible and could be swung around like a whip. No, imagine the kind where the sword’s blade was segmented, like the snapped-off pieces of a utility knife, each segment connected by a sturdy cord. I was not exactly sure how it worked, but it could be used as a regular sword in normal situations and then extend and whip around when needed.
Although it didn’t exist in reality, this kind of sword design somehow showed up quite often in various subculture settings.
Moreover, Claire’s appearance was that of a hardcore sadist, with a high-pitched, sharp voice to match her cruel attire. Although that wasn’t her true self—it was a persona she adopted after giving up on everything in life. Still, the combination of her characteristic dead eyes and a decadent atmosphere made her a strangely popular character.
Sometimes, she even appeared as a guest character in the protagonist’s party. There was also a connection gauge, so you could increase her affection level to unlock special events. However, she was also a character who would inevitably die as part of the story.
Well, given her popularity, the developers often found all sorts of excuses to bring her back to life in sequels. But in the latest installment I played, she was dead…
Of course, that’s not the case now.
Claire was safely residing in the orphanage run by the Grace barony. I didn’t know how the original story would progress from here, but at the very least, Claire in this world wouldn’t have to suffer through a fate of agony worse than death. Nor did she have to become one of the evil commanders. There’s no reason for that, and no need for it.
…The issue is that I’ve taken up that role as one of the ‘evil commanders’ instead.
My impression has changed a lot since I first got here. I’ve made an effort to adapt. I figured staying in this place was safer than being cast aside by the Emperor. I always kept up with my grooming and made a point of being respectful to my superiors. I even cut my long, hard-to-manage hair short and kept it tidy at all times.
But looking at my current situation, I was starting to wonder if all that effort was really necessary.
Especially since there’s a perfect example right here of someone who’s doing the exact opposite—living carelessly yet still not being discarded by the Emperor.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I heard my ‘stepbrother’ ask.
“…”
My body wasn’t completely split in half. It wasn’t a serious strike.
However, it was also a fatal attack enough to dull the pain entirely. My brain must have been frantically pumping endorphins throughout my body to prevent me from dying of shock. But in my experience, this state didn’t last long. Soon enough, the excruciating pain would hit, and I’d start screaming. And when that happened, my value in the Emperor’s eyes would plummet.
That would be a problem.
“Hey, wait a sec, you’re bleeding…”
You crazy bastard, you were the one who did this.
I glared at my stepbrother as I thought to myself.
Reset.
*
Well, anyway.
By resetting time like this, I could avoid a sword strike that should have hit me. I could even dodge without looking.
Of course, the faster the opponent’s sword, the harder it became to dodge. As a result, the number of ‘mistakes’ increases, and naturally, so does the number of retries. But it didn’t really matter. I could reset time as many times as I needed.
Not only could I simply dodge, but I could also retry until I dodged in the way I wanted. Whether it was a desperate roll on the ground or a cool, half-step dodge, it depended on how many times I tried.
…And over the past seven years since I became ‘Sylvia Fangriffon’ instead of ‘Sylvia Black,’ I had dodged my stepbrother’s sword strikes countless times a day. Even if my dynamic vision didn’t improve, dodging the sword strikes of one of the world’s greatest swordsmen a few times every day—no, hundreds—of times a day, I couldn’t help but get a feel for it.
Now, I could dodge such half-hearted strikes with a single step.
But seriously, what kind of person swings a sword at a twelve-year-old?
I was grateful that he brought me here, but this guy was crazy.
Then again, he was like that in the game, too. The reason he stayed under the Emperor was so he could fight with more people.
“Whew!”
As I dodged the sword strike by moving forward, I heard him whistle. I immediately spun around, drawing the pistol from the holster under my left armpit.
After becoming the Emperor’s daughter, I’d pondered my situation for quite some time. Even though I could turn back time, my physical abilities were nothing extraordinary. They were just like any other child my age.
Compared to the other monsters under the Emperor’s command, my body was weak and underdeveloped.
Of course, to those who didn’t know I had the ability to reset time, I appeared to have insane reflexes, sharp hearing, and superhuman senses. To them, I was a monster capable of dodging any attack, sensing an assassin the moment I walked into a room, or knowing exactly who stood outside a door before it was opened.
Naturally, I was just acting based on what I’d seen beforehand. But to everyone else, it looked like I was perceiving everything with my own senses.
In a way, it’s like a real-life TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun).
But no matter how you look at it, there’s no way the Emperor would be satisfied with just this ability. A person who dreamed of world domination would want someone who could fight and decisively defeat any opponent. That’s why I chose to specialize in firearms.
The developers have stated that the game’s setting was inspired by the Industrial Revolution. However, perhaps because they thought it would be boring to copy historical events exactly, the developers made various differences from the real-world Industrial Revolution. The design and general technological level were depicted similarly to the mid-19th century. But, true to the steampunk fantasy genre, there’s a significant amount of over-technology, allowing for the mass production of all sorts of goods and the use of techniques like press molding. In the original world, these were crude and just emerging technologies, but in this world, they were commonplace. They even have computers of a sort, making certain aspects of this world reminiscent of the 21st century, especially things like school uniforms.
True to its fantasy elements, some technologies in this world resemble those from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The firearms here had metal cartridges and looked similar to the personal firearms typically associated with the World Wars. Some aspects of their technology seemed to lag behind the same period on Earth, but considering the original work, this would likely be resolved within a few years.
Even in an era of widespread mass production and the introduction of press molding, revolvers were still more popular than automatic pistols, and bolt-action rifles were preferred over semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns. The designs were not yet fully stabilized, so simpler firearms were still much more reliable than more complex ones.
The revolver I carried was a military-grade model from Wexler. It used a top-break design that allowed the barrel to tilt forward completely, ejecting all spent casings at once. It then reloaded with a moon clip containing six rounds, which snaps into place like a magazine. Since it’s designed for an adult male’s hand, it’s not exactly the right size for my not-yet-fully-grown hands.
Initially, I dropped it several times when I first tried to draw it. But as I said, I had infinite opportunities. I reset time countless times to find the optimal way to draw the gun.
Resetting time also meant that any physical training, such as strength exercises or running, became void. My physical state reset to match that specific point in time. However, the muscle memory in my mind remained.
I could practice drawing the gun thousands, even tens of thousands of times. If it became too difficult, I could just reset time and keep practicing until I got used to it. The same goes for shooting. As long as I had a single bullet in my gun, I could practice my shooting anywhere, at any time, and as many times as I wanted—whether it was with a revolver or a bolt-action rifle nearly as tall as I was.
Moreover, even if I missed, I could continue practicing until I hit the target. If needed, I could aim at the exact same spot, repeatedly firing until only one bullet hole remained. I could keep resetting time until I achieved that.
I guarantee that no soldier in the Empire had as much shooting practice as I did.
Bang!
A powerful jolt shot through my hand as I fired the revolver—
“…Huh?”
“…Ah.”
Did you know If you focused too much on hitting the center of the target it could make it difficult to shoot off-target intentionally.
Then, there was a bullet-sized hole right in the middle of my stepbrother’s forehead.
Uh, well…
Reset.
*
In Norse mythology, there was a god named Baldur. He was immune to injury, no matter where he was struck or what weapon was used. The other gods would throw things at him, just for fun.
…To clarify, they weren’t bullying him. They were literally just playing with him, since Baldur couldn’t be harmed by anything. That’s exactly how my stepbrothers and stepsisters looked at me. Whether they suddenly jumped out and swung their swords or shot arrows at me, they would do so as if it were some kind of joke, knowing I would dodge them in advance.
Of course, the only person who really did it consistently was the guy I just shot.
Hmm.
Since I reset time before he completely died, I guess I didn’t need to count that as killing him, right?
Bang!
With the gunshot, his movements stopped.
If only dodging the first sword strike was enough to end it, but this lunatic had apparently been preparing a follow-up attack. The tips of his red hair, more precisely the area near his temple, were singed slightly. That’s where the bullet had passed. I hadn’t intended to aim so precisely, but since it served as a proper warning, I could be satisfied with that.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, little sister.”
Little sister, my ass.
“…Do you usually swing such murderous sword strikes at your sister?”
“Come on, you dodge every time I swing. I knew you’d dodge this one too.”
He said that while dramatically sheathing his sword.
I didn’t dodge it, you crazy bastard.
Even if I explained, he wouldn’t believe me.
“What if I hadn’t dodged?”
I asked, and he frowned, thinking for a moment before replying.
“Huh? But you did dodge.”
Exactly.
This guy’s intelligence didn’t match his swordsmanship skills. No wonder he let his guard down and got shot by me earlier.
No matter how good I was, I couldn’t match his swordsmanship. Of course, since I could keep resetting time to achieve the best possible outcome, no one would ever think so.
To dodge his constant attacks, I needed to exercise every day just to stay in shape. Otherwise, my role would just be shooting from a distance and running away. Damn it.
And, there were still three years until the main storyline started. According to the game’s setting, they selected outstanding children who turned fifteen that year to send to the academy, so this guy still had some room to grow. Mostly in terms of intelligence.
Even in the original story, he wasn’t dumb enough to get shot by underestimating his opponent.
Considering he’s only twenty-two now, maybe he just lacked experience.
…Then again, I was only twelve.
*
Damn it.
“Whoa, whoa, Sylvia.”
The guy spoke, raising both hands as if to show he meant no harm, looking at me like I was some cute, pouting child.
“Calm down. I’m your big brother. Would I really swing my sword at my little sister?”
You literally did.
Well, I couldn’t argue if he said it wasn’t serious since my body wasn’t split in two.
“…Lucas.”
“Hey, little sister. Are you really going to call me by my name like that? Just call me ‘brother.’ Come on? Honestly, you’ve seen me more than Father.”
Those “more” hours amounted to only a few extra hours, but sure.
Actually, the Emperor had been observing the orphanage from the beginning. Of course, it wasn’t to find talented kids like Claire or me from the start. He planned to find out which nobles visited the brothel associated with the orphanage and use this information to have power over them.
And the one given the task of watching the orphanage was none other than “Lucas Fangriffon.”
After the orphanage burned down, Lucas saw me leading the orphans to safety without any trouble and judged that I had ‘talent,’ so he kidnapped me and brought me before the Emperor.
But then he swung his sword at a five-year-old.
This crazy bastard.
I barely managed to dodge after several attempts.
Still, thanks to that, I caught the Emperor’s attention, which is why my name is now Sylvia Fangriffon.
“…Lucas. If you do something like that one more time, I’ll purposely let your sword strike me and report it to His Majesty.”
“Oh no, is that right? Is our sweet little Sylvia upset? Gonna go tattle to Daddy?”
“…”
Should I kill him?
Maybe I should just kill him.
As I toyed with the gun in my hand, I seriously considered it.