Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Volume Chapter 14

A beautiful young woman gazes at the ever-changing landscape outside the carriage with an expression steeped in melancholy.

Sitting directly across from me, Sophia Keren is so beautiful that even a fellow woman like me could be tempted to stare.

Although she’s still fairly young, something about her alluring visage makes her seem more mature.

She’s literally a femme fatale, and she looks the part, too.

It’s hard to believe that we’re the same age.

However, what most people don’t know is that she can actually be very childish.

Her personality is incredibly selfish, to the point where everything she does is solely for her own amusement.

Perhaps she inherited this trait from Master.

Even now, though she looks dramatic as she stares longingly out the window, I’m sure all she’s thinking about is how bored she is.

Sophia is selfish and freewheeling and never thinks things through.

However, she also happens to be incredibly powerful.

In a word, I think she can only be described as a menace.

As if reading my thoughts, Sophia turns to look at me.

“What is it?” I ask evenly.

“I’m bored.”

I guess she wasn’t reading my thoughts, then.

Still, what does she expect me to do about her boredom?

“Just be patient, please.”

“Ugh. If I knew it was going to take this long, I could’ve just run there myself.”

“Feel free to do so now, if you wish.”

Her face twists into an obvious grimace at my curt remark.

So childish.

The idea that running would be faster than the carriage is childish in itself, too. Unbelievable.

Currently, we are traveling with the advance guard of Prince Hugo’s imperial army.

Though we are essentially honored guests, we are still commanders, progressing along with the troops.

Why in the world would she suggest that running would be faster? We must keep pace with the rest of the army.

Yes, I’m sure she could move faster on her own.

But even if she got there early, she would just be stuck waiting for the rest of the army to catch up, so she would still be bored.

Does she not even realize that?

“Hmm. You really hate me, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

Why ask such an obvious question?

Her face grows only more sullen at my response.

The fact that her childish personality prevents her from recognizing the position I’m in only frustrates me more.

Though I suppose I could still be doing a better job of controlling my emotions myself.

I do my best to keep things from showing on my face, but I can’t quite keep my bitter thoughts in check.

I must be diligent.

Perhaps that’s the reason Master put me in charge of supervising her?

No, I doubt even our master would make a major decision like this for such a trivial reason.

“Please make an effort to be more serious. This is not a game, you realize.”

“I knooow. But when I’m bored, I’m bored.”

So she doesn’t actually realize that, then.

“Well, you must keep such complaints to yourself. How do you think the brave soldiers marching outside feel?”

While we get to ride in a carriage, the soldiers traveling with us are on foot.

Some are riding on beast mounts, but most are foot soldiers, wearing heavy armor and carrying their weapons as they walk.

If they were to hear such a petty complaint from someone with the privilege of riding in a carriage, surely that would only foster resentment.

“Besides, Sir Wald is hard at work even as we speak. We cannot waste time trifling.”

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Our comrade and mutual friend Sir Wald is stationed at Prince Hugo’s side.

His role is to keep watch on the prince in case he attempts anything that runs contrary to our plans.

“Oh, he’s just trying to make up for his little blunder however he can, that’s all. It’s cute how hard he’s trying, don’t you think?”

“Please don’t ever say that to his face.”

Wald is deeply concerned about that situation.

The “blunder” in question is that he was burned by the wyrm’s breath when the hero and his allies got away.

Of course, we intended to let them go from the start, so that isn’t a problem. However, since he was the only one of us to be wounded, he seems to have taken the incident as a personal failure.

All the more since it happened in front of the person he’s in love with, no doubt.

Personally, the way he scrambles like a faithful dog to do anything that might improve his value in her eyes, no matter how troublesome the task, only makes me think less of him.

And judging by her remark just now, it doesn’t seem like her opinion of him has gone up or down at all.

Does she even see him as a potential romantic interest?

Since I have no romantic experience myself, I can’t say either way.

“But that wyrm is a reincarnation, too. There’s no shame in losing that fight, if you ask me.”

The white wyrm that interrupted our battle with the hero and his compatriots.

According to Master, that creature is a reincarnation, too.

Sophia affirmed this when we saw it in person, so there is no doubt in my mind.

“Still, it must have been frustrating for him. And surely he didn’t want to look incompetent in front of the object of his affection, so try to be more considerate. Besides, you wouldn’t like to lose to a reincarnation yourself, would you?”

Certainly, reincarnations have the potential to become very powerful.

The proof of that is sitting right in front of me.

Sophia is a reincarnation, too, after all.

However, one cannot simply use that as an excuse for losing.

“Yeah, I guess not.”

Sophia herself hates to lose, so she makes no attempt to deny my point.

“D’you think you could’ve won if you fought the hero then and there?” she asks suddenly.

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It’s a somewhat abrupt shift in subject, though not entirely unexpected.

However, I would have preferred to avoid it.

“I suppose I likely would have lost. All I did was slow him down from a distance. If we were to fight in a one-on-one battle, my odds of winning would be slim.”

When we fought the hero, I threw my chakram at him from a distance.

At the time, he was carrying an unconscious woman in one arm and was surrounded by soldiers, yet he still managed to ward off my attacks.

I wasn’t seriously attempting to kill him, of course, but I still must commend his ability to hold his own in that situation.

If I had to fight him head-on, without any such conditions, I can only assume that the odds would be against me.

Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say I wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Huh. So you admit you would lose?”

Sophia smiles nastily.

This is why I despise her.

“One must always be accurate in analyzing an opponent’s strength. It would be unwise to underestimate their strength or overestimate one’s own.”

“Doesn’t it bother you, though?”

“Is that so wrong?”

Yes, I’ll admit it.

It does bother me that the hero is stronger than I am.

However, the fact that this woman has to point it out is far more vexing.

“No, I didn’t say that. I mean, no one likes to lose, really.”

Her glossy lips curve into a smile as she continues.

“I just wanted to see that annoyed look on your face.”

“You hate me right back, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

Truly, what a frustrating person she is.

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