The Great Vampire General is a Girl! - Chapter 63

“A great battle, Lady Valerie, I rarely meet an opponent as tough as you. But, aren’t you said to be a cursed weapon user? But what is the power of your weapon?” Chloe asked while pressing her injured shoulder with a clean cotton cloth. Blood was seen seeping there. But the longer the flow was not too strong and the wound would close soon.

“I still haven’t gotten the hang of it because I haven’t had it that long,” Valerie said in response.

Chloe didn’t seem to be looking at herself with vengeance. Indeed, there was a sense of disappointment because she was defeated, but she faced it with sportsmanship. Meanwhile Valerie felt guilty. She shouldn’t have gone overboard in injuring her. It was just practice. But Raphael’s words telling her to be serious and hurt each other as badly as possible —had affected her.

The knights looked at her with mixed thoughts. Was it true that Lady Valerie was Raphael’s new wife? She was a very attractive woman and at first glance looked gentle. But she used a cursed weapon. However, the knights still couldn’t figure it out. How could her own husband ask her to fight so seriously the first day she set foot on the training field?

She could be injured, her face could be disfigured and she could even die. Did the two of them marry because of an arranged marriage so Raphael didn’t care if his wife was alive or not? The knights looked at Valerie with pitying eyes and glared at Raphael fiercely.

Raphael noticed the unfriendly look. But he had no other choice. Valerie was a knight, she wields a cursed sword. This means that she would always be targeted to be killed. She couldn’t keep practicing. She had to be able to protect herself. Although for Raphael himself he found it hard to do so.

But Raphael didn’t know if there was anyone else who was more suitable to train Valerie than him. Because Raphael was determined to make sure Valerie grew and became as strong as him in the future. Other cursed weapon users might be tougher in training Valerie. Or vice versa—would not be serious enough to teach her.

Raphael might be her husband, but for now she wanted Valerie to see him as her mentor. And the girl, determined not to disappoint Raphael. When they entered the training ground, Valerie seemed to forget that Raphael was her husband.

What she remembered was that Raphael was both her commander and mentor. The relaxed and intimate days between the two of them over the past few weeks had now evaporated. Valerie again found it difficult to see Raphael as the opposite sex at this time.

She felt stupid, because had allowed herself to be carried away with all the fantasies of love and fairytales in her mind. Valerie was no longer an ordinary girl who deserves to feel romantic or thrilling moments with her new husband. She should never have thought that way. Because Raphael married her for the purpose of bringing her back to the military.

Valerie must not forget that she had been given a second chance at life. She also wields a cursed sword which was a great responsibility. Before she wins a war or becomes a general she must not relax. Especially hoping that Raphael, who had sacrificed a lot for her, would treat her as a real wife.

Valerie slapped her cheeks to strengthen her resolve. She was too negligent. She couldn’t burden Raphael any more than now.

“Valerie,” Raphael called.

“Yes, sir!” Valerie replied in a submissive tone.

Raphael was silent for a moment. This duel seemed to have revived Valerie’s knight instincts. She returned to being professional to him. That should be a good thing. If Valerie got too close to him—it would be difficult for Raphael to train her. But the man felt something pierce his heart. He regretted because maybe he would forever be distant from Valerie, his newly married wife.

“Let’s talk about Apollon,” said Raphael, asking her to follow him.

“Yes, sir,”

They both sat on the edge of the training field. Meanwhile the other knights were busy training and dueling again. Chloe herself was greeted by another female knight who wanted to check on her injury. Valerie waited beside her commander while twisting the hilt of Apollon’s sword as if trying to get used to it.

“You have good reflexes, you can think quickly and are good at analyzing your enemy’s weaknesses. Maybe because you’ve fought before, it trains your instincts. Still, a few months of experience on the front line shouldn’t be enough to give you that ability,” Raphael analyzes.

Valerie gasped. She realized that his current skills were due to his more than four years of experience on the front lines. It was in her past life. The current her had only experienced the war for a few months. She shouldn’t be as tough as she is now.

“Maybe I’m talented, sir,” Valerie smiled. She didn’t know how else to dodge. Maybe one day she would reveal to Raphael about herself coming back to life after dying in Avalon’s base. But not now.

“Yes, you may be a few of the many talented people I know. However, as a cursed weapon user you must recognize Apollon’s power,”

“I still can’t get him to bring out his true power. Only when I faced General Gunther a while ago,” Valerie lowered her head.

“What about when you face Shadows who break into your house?”

“Ah yes, that disgusting monster. I think I had time to make Apollon shine. When I was in a state of urgency. Maybe Apollon reacted when I almost died,”

“That’s not how cursed weapons work. You have to communicate with them.”

“How?”

“Talk to him,”

“Huh? Are you crazy? Talking to inanimate objects?”

“Cursed weapons are not inanimate objects, they have Souls. Normally, those of us who wield cursed weapons would unknowingly be able to do it. But in your case, maybe you should put more effort into it,”

“How to?”

“Like I said, talk to your sword,”

“You have to believe that he’s not an inanimate object, you have to believe that he has a soul and try to befriend him. For now, that’s your only job. After you can awaken Apollon’s power then I will train you again,” Raphael explained again before ruffling her hair and walking away.

“Don’t do that, sir,” Valerie rebuked.

“What?”

“Don’t get too close to me, I don’t want to misunderstand. I mustn’t forget that you married me to bring me back to Florentia,” Valerie reminded.

Raphael felt a gray cloud overshadow his heart at this moment. He didn’t know that Valerie trying to keep his distance from him would make him sad.

“Oh, okay,” said Raphael a little sadly. He shouldn’t have been shaken by this. Wasn’t he the one who wanted to keep his distance from his wife first?

Then, Valerie again immersed in her own world. He looked at Apollon in her hands seriously, and called out his name. She tries to communicate with him. Raphael didn’t go. He sat back down by Valerie’s side.

The girl was trying to get Apollon to act on her. She closed her eyes, trying to understand it. But she still didn’t understand how to communicate with Apollon. Would the sword talk to her later? Or maybe she’ll talk telepathically to him?

Like some pure-blooded vampires, they were said to be able to control people’s minds. Just like General Gunther had done to her. But she had never met a vampire who could read minds. Valerie felt her imagination might be limited. She wanted to know what it was like if she could communicate with Apollon?

Without Valerie knowing, Raphael was still observing her. He noticed his wife’s confused expression while trying to understand Apollon. The man found it attractive to him. He had never felt interested in a woman’s behavior except this time. This was not the first time he had met a beautiful noble girl. It also wasn’t the first time he’d known a female knight wielding a cursed weapon either. There was something about Valerie that Raphael couldn’t ignore.

But now the girl seemed to be trying to keep her distance from him. It made Raphael uncomfortable.

“I don’t like this,” said Raphael irritably.

“Eh? Why?”

“I told you, I take marriage seriously. Even though I’m also your mentor, and may have to have the heart to force you into danger that could take your life—I’m still your husband and you’re still my wife,” Raphael insisted.

“I still don’t understand, what are you trying to say? Wasn’t it your sense of responsibility as a commander that made you decide to marry me?”

“I’m not that patriotic. Do you think if there was another girl in the same situation as you— I would do it?” Raphael said with reddened ears.

“Eh? So—”

“Of course I did it because of you, Valerie Chastain.. Because I— care about you,” Raphael insisted again.