Ascension Of The Villain

The training ground buzzed with the sounds of clashing swords, the sharp ring of metal against metal echoing in the crisp morning air. Iyana stood at the center, every muscle in her body coiled like a spring ready to unleash. Across from her, her sparring partner wore a lopsided grin on his face.

"You know, Vice-Commander," Terrence began, rolling his shoulders to loosen them, "You don't need to practice harder for this duel with Commander Pembrooke." They have been training for hours, longer than usual, for a whole week now, and Terrence was this close to keeling over from exhaustion from trying to keep up with Iyana's monstrous stamina. "It is going to be a breeze.

The man can barely walk, and his Aura has been on the fritz for months. You could probably win this in your sleep," he tried to convince her for the umpteenth time.

Iyana shrugged and raised her sword to guard position. "Maybe. But I would rather not chance it. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for me if I lost against a crip—ahem, a disadvantaged man."

Terrence snorted and adjusted his stance.

"Besides, a victory is only sweeter when you have earned it," Iyana added.

Terrence chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Earned it, huh? Aren't you just overcompensating because you wanted an equal match rather than a pity show?"

Iyana shot him a sideways glance, more like a glare. "Yes, keep talking, Terrence. It's your best weapon."

He laughed and lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air with a whoosh. Iyana deflected it with a swift parry, countering with a fluid strike that forced him back. Terrence was a skilled swordsman; in fact, the best in her team, which was why she has been forcing him to spar with her every morning. For her duel against the current commander.

It was a tradition. If someone achieved aura, they were eligible to challenge the current commander, and if they won, they could take over. The goal was to have the strongest of the imperial army to be their leader.

Usually, the challenging duels were pretty exciting. It was a show worth watching in the capital arena. But this time, the excitement was a little lackluster, thanks to Commander Pembrooke having been crippled ever since the war at Ganlop.

The only reason he hadn't been removed from the position was because there was no contender with Aura to challenge him.

Now that Iyana had Aura, she could easily do that. Nevertheless, she found it humiliating, honestly. She had always dreamed of winning the duel with the entire arena being on the edge of their seats, a clashing match that was thrilling and definitely not one-sided with her raising a sword against a handicapped man.

She had a chance to avoid this humiliation by getting direct promotion after finding Princess Maria, but well, that clearly didn't work out.

It is what it is, she told herself and rolled with it. There was no point whining about it. The least she could do was train her hardest, regardless. At least she would know in her heart that she would win the watch—with or without Pembrooke's handicap.

"By the way," Terrence spoke up in the middle of them clashing back and forth across the training ground. "Is the Grand Duke coming to cheer for you, Vice-Commander?" he teased, while trying to break through her defenses with a flurry of strikes.

But Iyana met each one with an almost effortless grace. She was like water, flowing around his attacks, redirecting his energy back toward him. "I don't see why that is any of your concern, but no."

"Oh, no, why not?" Terrence panted between swings, "Has he not read the book 'A Smooth Guide To Love'? One should always, I repeat always, support their partner in big achievements!"

Iyana rolled her eyes and dodged another strike. "First of all, no, I don't think he has read that book, and I hope to Goddess he never does," she responded tightly. "And secondly, I am the one who told him not to come."

"Okay, then, let me rephrase my question. Have you not read the book?"

"Shut up, and concentrate—"

"No, you have to tell me. I am a sucker for gossip. Even Melissa is curious."

"Seeing as you have grown the audacity to cut me off, I have clearly been too busy with the recent cases to keep you guys in line. In other words, you are obviously asking to be assigned more work. So, as of today, you are the officer in charge of the Itroy Market." With a swift pivot, she disarmed him with a definitive strike back.

His sword clattered to the ground, and he cried out, "Nooooo!"

"Good luck with stopping those thieveries every five minutes." She brought her blade to his throat, a sadistic smile on her face. "And just so you know, I defeated you this time without using Aura. So, why don't you let it sink in that I could win now against you in my sleep as well?" she teased, lowering her sword. "Start working harder, will you? You are getting sloppier each time."

Terrence put a hand to his chest, feigning a look of horror and disbelief. "Oh, here I thought your heart had softened after falling in love, Vice-Commander!"

Iyana put her sword back in her sheath and turned around to leave, only to pause and add, "Well, someone once told me, once a monster, always a monster."

———

Iyana stood at her desk in her office, her finger tapping over the blueprint of the imperial palaces. She was assigned the task to go over the map and find out all the blind spots within the palace, assigning more guards at every spot and tightening the security to the point no breach would be possible.

The warm sun streamed in through the open windows, the breeze blowing in, helping her release a sigh of frustration. It was a little hard to decide which knights to assign, given the limited number.

If three hundred knights were just assigned on the imperial grounds, who was going to take care of this vast empire? The crime rates would surge like crazy.

So, Iyana had to weigh out every side and balance both palace and empire security.

She was pressing the bridge of her nose when she heard a ping from the first drawer of the desk. Instantly, a smile lit up her face, and she plopped down on the chair, pulling out the drawer.

Her smile widened seeing the letter-exchange magical artifact and took it out, although she paused for a moment when she noticed a packet of cigarettes tucked in the back of the drawer. She made a mental note to throw it away later on, now that she had stopped smoking.

She always used to smoke whenever she was stressed, just like how she was now, but she knew that Vyan hated it for appropriate reasons.

Now, she had come to the point that she no longer felt the urge to smoke anymore, even while stressed. She was proud of herself for that. Maybe she would brag about it to Vyan one of these days too.

Oh, speaking of Vyan—

She pulled out the letter from the artifact box and started reading it.

"I am dying—"

Her heart lurched to her throat as she gasped until she read the next line.

"Benedict gave me this weird concoction. Now, I am feeling even more sick. Send help, please!" Enjoy reading at m v-lem-pyr

Iyana laughed lightly at his theatrics, only to get a sinking feeling in her chest as she recalled Terrence's question, "Is the Grand Duke coming to cheer for you, Vice-Commander?"

Well, how would he? Vyan had a high fever and a bad cold since yesterday, and now, apparently, he was dying.

She had strictly told him to stay home and rest. He was already overexerting himself since… hmm, for as long as she has known him. But recently, he was having a lot of mental strain as well. She didn't want him to force himself to come for her sake. She knew that if she asked, he would definitely come.

But it was just a stupid duel. Even the outcome was decided for the most part. Vyan had no reason to come.

Iyana grabbed a pen and paper and started writing, muttering, "You are being such a baby, I swear. Just drink whatever is being given to you. It's for your best. And also, if you are so sick that you have to get Clyde to write your letters, then stop writing and go to sleep. I will come see you tonight, anyway. Until then, I don't want to hear another word from you."

She put the letter inside the box and closed the lid, waiting for it to glow, and then, put it back in her drawer.

"Idiot," she huffed, shutting the drawer with a sharp push, only to feel bad a moment later. "Was I too mean to him?"

Just then, a soft knock on her door brought her back to reality.

Elijah stepped in. "Vice-Commander," he addressed her, his voice respectful. "Countess Darren is here to see you. She sent a letter requesting a meeting, but it appears there was no reply."

Iyana's gaze shifted from the documents to Elijah, her brow creasing slightly. "A letter?" she echoed, looking around at the cluttered mess on her desk. "It must have gotten lost under all this." She gave a dismissive wave before asking, "But who is Countess Darren?"

Elijah blinked, his lips twitching into a faint, almost amused smile. "You must have forgotten about her. She is your best friend, Vice-Commander."

Iyana's confusion deepened, her eyes widening a fraction. "My best friend?" she repeated, a note of disbelief in her voice. "And she never thought to visit me until now?"