The dragon made its lair in a ravine surrounded by cliffs near the forest.
Its jet-black scales were tougher than any mineral, its claws and fangs easily shattering rock.
Having fought several times nearby, trees lay felled —literally, numerous battle scars remained.
　The dragon lay curled up, sleeping peacefully.
The composure of an overwhelmingly powerful being —indeed, if it remained far from the kingdom’s lands, they would not interfere.
But leaving it be would undoubtedly become a threat.
Fundamentally, many monsters had sensed this dragon’s presence, and even powerful creatures that normally avoided human settlements were now being sighted.
　Indirect casualties were mounting, and eliminating these threats fell within the Knights’ remit.
And —this dragon here was the root cause of it all, the primary target.
Alisha touched the hilt of the sword at her waist.

“—The units have completed deployment. We are ready to attack at any moment.”

She received the report from one of her subordinates.
All deployed units were focused on providing support; Alisha alone would face the dragon in combat.
　Half-hearted strength would only make her prey for the dragon —in that case, it was somewhat easier for Alisha to challenge it alone.
This time, all units had been ordered to retreat the moment Alisha was defeated.
In other words —defeat meant certain death.
When had she last faced such a terrifying battle? —and yet, strangely, Alisha’s heart felt calm.
　When she had faced it before, she had merely charged headlong into battle.
She had believed that focusing on her knightly duty would allow her to forget everything else.
Now it was different —Alisha fixed her gaze upon the dragon.

“I shall proceed first.”

Alisha descended from the valley overlooking the dragon and landed nearby.
Naturally, sensing her presence, the dragon awoke and slowly raised its massive form.
‘Grrrrrr…’

A low, growling sound reached her ears.

“—Hmph.”

Alisha exhaled softly.
Her injuries hadn’t healed —the pain lingered, and her forehead glistened with cold sweat.

“…But I don’t feel like I’ll lose.”

Alisha chuckled softly and drew the sword at her waist.

“I’ll have my revenge.”

With those words, Alisha charged forward and the battle commenced.

＊＊＊

To cut a long story short, Alisha defeated the dragon magnificently.
The expeditionary force’s strength was halved, and Alisha, its mainstay, fought on despite her wounds not yet healing, playing a major role in defeating the dragon. Naturally, her reputation reached unprecedented heights.
Alisha Zekrosia of the Kingdom of Woerth could be said to have become the kingdom’s foremost knight in both name and reality.
It was as if her two defeats had never happened.
However, in reality, this was not the case.
Alisha had defeated the dragon and, despite her first defeat, had fulfilled her duties as a knight.
Therefore, she would not be reprimanded.
　On the other hand, Ellenphia, who had bravely challenged the dragon only to flee, was different.
In the end, she had not even properly wielded her sword before the dragon.
Seeing its overwhelming strength, she was judged to be nothing more than a coward who had simply run away.
Fleeing is not necessarily shameful, but the problem was that she was in a position of commanding the unit.
　Ellenphia merely exacerbated the knights’ casualties, and thus bore the blame.
Consequently —Ellenphia was expelled from the knights’ order.
Though the Flesis household did not lose its noble title, it undoubtedly suffered a severe blow.
With Ellenphia’s fall —it seems Cortier, the maid who served by her side, also departed the Flesis household.
“My duty was solely to serve my mistress. Whatever relationship you two may have had now holds no interest for me.”
Before leaving the capital, Cortier came to bid Lotte farewell, leaving those words behind.
Apparently, it was on the pretext that she had invited her to the Flesis household.
　—One might call that rather conscientious.
Alisha’s standing in society rose, and their secret remained unknown to all —truly, it could be said the outcome was the best possible for Lotte and Alisha.
Rewinding slightly —this was after Alisha had slain the dragon.
Normally, she would have returned home after the expedition, but Alisha remained at the expedition’s lodgings, citing recuperation.
　Lotte remained behind as her attendant, and now the two were alone in a small room at the inn —or so it should have been.

“—What do you think you’re doing?”

Alisha fixed her sharp gaze upon them and snapped.
At the end of that gaze stood Lotte and Ellenphia, who had a sword pressed against her throat.
It seemed she had slipped in while Alisha had briefly left the room.

“Hah, hah… I am finished as both a knight and a noblewoman. You will be praised as the knight who slew the dragon, leaving me nowhere to belong. Why, why only me…!”

Ellenphia’s face was twisted with fury.
　—It should all be her own doing.
After threatening Lotte and fleeing, it seems she had been monitoring Alisha and Lotte’s movements all along.

“…I’m speechless. You are unworthy of being a knight of the kingdom.”
“Shut your mouth! Do you care what happens to this maid!?”

Ellenphia said this, then lightly brushed Lotte’s neck with her sword.

”!”

Lotte’s body trembled slightly.
Blood flowed from her neck —and the instant Alisha saw it, her expression changed.
—She was furious.
Yet, it was colder than the look Alisha had once shown the maids who cornered Lotte.
She simply couldn’t move because Lotte was being held hostage.

(Again, it’s my fault…)

Causing trouble for Alisha —all Lotte could do was create even the slightest opening for Alisha.

Lotte grabbed Ellenphia’s arm, feigning resistance.

“Huh?! Wh-what are you…!”
“Alisha-sama!”

Lotte raised her voice as if giving a signal.