The story of the black silk female knight

What if... we could attack with items and equipment while maintaining divine defense?

In fact, Serant's combat strategy is pretty much the same. She is a spellcaster, but she rarely uses offensive spells herself in duels... She mainly uses ice crystal guns and magic traps for attacks, and uses all her abilities to maintain magic shields and buff herself to maintain high mobility.

Valensa felt she could also learn from this style of play.

"Come again!"

Training continues.

As exclusive equipment for the Inner Knights, the lightsaber and the Divine Particle Armor are definitely not much worse than Moon Kiss in terms of level, and will most likely be directly judged as Noble Phantasms by the Duel Barrier, so Valensa has no use for them.

She first tried out her alloy shield, which could split into six floating blades. She found that she could defend in shield mode, but once she started attacking in floating blade mode, the duel barrier would penalize Valensa again.

Neither does this.

Valensa was quite frustrated, but not discouraged. After a moment's thought, she took out an ordinary enchanted round shield and the black whip forged from the tongue of a battle-hardened cryptid.

The effect was excellent... After being brutally defeated by Serant for more than ten rounds, Valensa finally achieved her first victory in dueling.

Chapter 6 Tia is also making preparations.

The black whip, crafted from the tongue of a battle-hardened cryptid, was so light and soft that it looked nothing like a weapon; it resembled more of a toy used by fairies fighting as lovers.

Valensa, combining the memories of the battle-hardened cryptid's soul with the teachings of the War Academy instructors, successfully developed several seemingly simple yet effective whip techniques, including a tongue-thrusting move similar to the one used by the battle-hardened cryptid when it destroyed the Lighthouse-class female elemental mage.

Of course, Valensa certainly wouldn't put the whip in her mouth and stick it out like a tongue like the cryptid, and it would be difficult for her to achieve the same stabbing effect.

She uses explosive wrist flicks to quickly swing the black whip towards the target in an almost straight line, so that the tip of the whip touches the enemy like a fishhook, allowing her to strike the enemy's vitals with small, sharp blows or entangle the enemy's limbs.

This move is certainly not as powerful as striking with the whole whip, but it is faster.

Even without Valensa using her mental powers to enhance herself, the speed of that whip was far beyond what a spellcaster could easily dodge, and the same was true for Serant.

If you can't dodge, then you can only defend... Just like the female elemental mage of the Red Cloud Adventurer's Team when facing the battle-hardened cave monster, Serant chose a dual elemental shield of ice and earth. Normally, this would be enough to withstand a blow from a lighthouse-level warrior, and even in a technologically advanced civilization, it could easily block a tank cannon.

However, in the face of the powerful destructive properties of the black tongue, the lighthouse-level elemental shield is as fragile as a newspaper shell.

Serant's elemental shield was easily pierced by the black whip, which struck vital areas, tearing off several buttons from his uniform and knocking him to the ground.

Even in a real match, this was enough to change the course of the battle, and Valensa finally got her first point in the training match.

Although Serant immediately became very wary of the black whip, preventing Valensa from succeeding in repeating the same tactic in the next three rounds, Serant, as a former top eight duelist, had to admit that any spellcaster-type duelist would most likely give Valensa points the first time they encountered the black whip.

This further solidified Valensa's tactical approach... using various weak but peculiar equipment or skills to deliver a kill on the first encounter!

Anyway, she only participated in the dueling competition as a cover. She didn't expect to achieve any good results. It would be enough for her to get a few wins so as not to be too embarrassed.

Therefore, Valensa immediately had a new idea. For example, just like the caveman used his large one-eyed ray of curses, she could also use her eyes to unleash the power of the evil god.

Unfortunately, she had just concentrated a bit of the evil god's power into her left eye in the new round, and before she could even use it on Serant, the duel barrier ruled her out again.

The same goes for Yangyan Divine Power... This kind of power, which is superior to ordinary magic and qi in terms of class, seems to be considered a foul as long as it is used. I don't know how this duel barrier judges it.

However, Valensa did not give up the idea of ​​attacking with her eyes, and for this purpose she asked Serant to ignore the rules of dueling and spar with her for a while.

It turns out that this kind of attack from the eyes is indeed quite suitable for surprise attacks. Serant said that as long as Valenza can find a way to get this move through the judgment of the duel barrier, she can use it as a trump card in formal dueling competitions.

Valensa naturally had to think about this carefully, and perhaps she should consult the great witch Friedeya to see if there was any magic suitable for being fired with the eyes.

Moreover, she has already practiced with Serant for more than twenty rounds, it's time for Thousand Leaf Grass to suffer as well.

Chiba was quite interested in this dueling competition. Unlike Valencia, she seemed to have a lot of ideas and confidence about the top spots.

However, in the first game, Chiba Grass's confidence was severely shaken.

She activated the Leaf Concealment Technique at the start of the game to enter stealth mode, which resulted in her being immediately penalized for a foul.

“…Miss Chiba.”

Serant sighed, utterly speechless.

"Have you really read the dueling rules manual carefully? The prohibition of invisibility abilities is one of the first few rules... You know this is a commercial entertainment competition designed to entertain ordinary people and make them willingly spend money. If you become invisible, what will the audience watch?"

"Ummmmm...!"

Thousand Leaf Grass finally experienced the same pain as Valencia, whose ultimate move was banned right from the start.

However, both demon ninjas and female knights are very tenacious professions, and they are portrayed as unyielding in various novels, picture books and games.

So even though the Leaf Concealment Technique was banned, Chiba's enthusiasm didn't diminish much; instead, she started training with even greater fighting spirit.

At the very least, I must not lose to my older sister in a competition like this!

With this in mind, Chiba trained very hard and indeed achieved a lot... In the later rounds, she even achieved a score of 3 to 8 against Serant.

It's worth noting that this was Chiba Grass's first time participating in dueling competition, while Serant was an excellent player who had participated in two seasons and even reached the quarterfinals. Chiba Grass's achievement was already quite remarkable.

Valenza, under the same conditions, was utterly crushed by Serant 26-1. If it weren't for the Black Whip's extremely strong first-round kill ability, Valenza might not have won a single match.

It can only be said that the Demon Ninja class is clearly more suitable for dueling and competitive play than the Paladin.

Although Chiba's invisibility ability has been banned, her ability to create clones and summon plants to aid her in battle by activating seeds with ninjutsu energy is extremely powerful under the rules of duels. In Valensa's previous life's mobile game, she could be considered a must-have PVP character.

Even Yashilo's beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. She elegantly took a sip of her milk tea and smiled gently at Valensa beside her.

"Cao Cao is quite capable... Let her train with Serant properly, maybe she can really get a good ranking."

"Indeed, the rules of dueling are perfect for improvisation... A beautiful ninja girl wearing a mesh bodysuit who can also create multiple clones would probably be quite popular with the audience, right?"

Valensa nodded, then thought for a moment and smiled:

"Perhaps you could start preparing a batch of Cao Cao's merchandise now. Once Cao Cao gains fame in America, you might just make a fortune."

. . . . .

While Valensa and Chiba approached Yashiro to ask to participate in the dueling tournament, Tia was also preparing a legitimate reason for her trip to America.

Her fighting style is not suitable for dueling competitions, and using accompanying Valensa as an excuse to stay in America for a long time is a bit of a stretch; she needs to find another suitable reason.

So Tia is also visiting someone... Princess Elses, a famous member of the Fran royal family.

Chapter 7 Night Meeting with the Princess

"Wow, Tia, what brings you here alone at this hour?"

Looking at Tia, who was sitting opposite her in a high-slit blue dress and white stockings and high heels, Elser's eyes lit up. She even licked her lips and couldn't help but make suggestive remarks.

"What? That scumbag Valensa is ignoring you, so you're feeling resentful and lonely, and you're planning to come find me to secretly play some exciting games?"

After dating Gina, Elserse has become much more restrained than before, giving the impression of a prodigal son returning home. However, when faced with Tia, a beautiful girl who is already engaged but visits her alone at night, Elserse's old ways seem hard to change.

There is nothing we can do about it.

To paraphrase a popular saying from Valencia's previous life:

Everyone despises Prime Minister Cao, yet everyone wants to be Prime Minister Cao.

Even those so-called pure-hearted warriors who constantly shout about wanting to annihilate the Minotaur, once they themselves have the chance to become blond, find it hard not to betray their faction.

Tia seemed to have anticipated that Elsers would take the opportunity to flirt with her.

She picked up the hot tea on the table, took a small sip, and smiled enigmatically.

"Speaking of which, the eldest son of the Minister of Civil Affairs is not only tall and handsome, but also very capable. At only 31 years old, he has been able to govern his territory to a prosperous and stable state, and he also possesses the strength of a Lighthouse-level swordsman."

His Majesty and the Crown Prince both seem very pleased with that gentleman. They even asked my father for his opinion on the marriage the other day… Do you think I should have my father take this opportunity to tell His Majesty that the gentleman and the Princess are a match made in heaven, and that they should get married after the New Year?”

"I'm sorry, I was wrong, please don't do that!"

Elseris immediately backed down and quickly admitted her mistake, but couldn't help but offer a defense afterward:

“It’s not that I’m hard to change my nature… but Tia, you really are very charming, and it’s easy for people to misunderstand that you would visit a woman like me, with such a bad reputation, alone at night.”

"...I'll take that as a compliment to my charm."

Tia rolled her eyes at Elsers, then took a small sip of tea, her expression turning serious.

"As for why I came to see you alone at this time... you guessed right, I do have some things that are inconvenient for too many people to know, and I need to discuss them with you."

"……I see."

Elseris quickly stood up and called out to the maids waiting inside the room and at the door:

"You may all leave now! No one is allowed to approach without my order! If you leak my conversation again like last time, I'll send you all to the Pink Rose Garden to serve drinks!"

"Yes, Your Highness Princess!"

The maids behaved very well, and were also clearly a little scared.

Elser was furious when she found out that the Captain Capton officer had bought information from the maid in order to report Tia.

She not only punished the maid who betrayed the information with extremely shameful and socially reprehensible punishment, but also gave all the other maids a severe beating.

Now that the maids saw that it was Tia who had come to discuss matters with the princess, they were all quite nervous. They were afraid that someone else would succumb to temptation and betray the information, so they all widened their eyes and made up their minds to keep a close eye on their companions.

Elseris had some confidence in the maids after she had taught them a lesson, but Tia, who had already learned her lesson, chose to be cautious... After the maids left, she raised her hand and created a soundproof barrier to isolate Elseris's room from the outside world.

Since breaking through that barrier with Valensa, Tia's soundproof barrier has become the spell she uses most often, and her proficiency with it is naturally the highest.

Now only the two of them were left in the room. Tia and Elsers were visibly more relaxed, but Tia's tone remained serious:

"You should know that I wasn't just trying to scare you... His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince seem to have reached their limit of patience with you and are eager to marry you off immediately."

The reason the marriage hasn't been formally arranged yet is, I hear, because the eldest son of the Minister of Civil Affairs is reluctant. That gentleman already has a girlfriend, and besides, you, Princess, have a truly tarnished reputation.

"Yeah, I know... I've been really annoyed by this lately... Ugh?"

Elsers sighed with a wry smile, finding it difficult to even swallow the delicious milk tea.

Fortunately, she wasn't too slow to react; she immediately widened her eyes, filled with anticipation:

"Tia, you came to see me alone at this time. Do you have a way to help me escape the wedding hell that is getting closer and closer to me?"

"Is such that."

Tia smiled and nodded:

"Speaking of which, do you remember that idea that Valensa and I came up with for you before?"

"Of course I remember... Simply put, it's about increasing my value and influence, making my father and brother realize that keeping me as a spinster is more beneficial to the royal family than getting married, right?"

Elserse answered the question first, then rolled her eyes with a hint of resentment:

“I basically did as instructed… During the autumn war this year, didn’t I seize the opportunity to go to the front lines to comfort the soldiers? But who would have thought that we would run into wild beasts burrowing in to attack us… After that, all the limelight was stolen by your Valencia, and I didn’t have a chance to shine at all! The few days I spent in Bizk Town were completely useless!”

"Actually, it's still somewhat useful."

Tia smiled and offered a comforting word:

"At least now many soldiers know that our Kingdom of Fran has a gentle, beautiful princess who cares for her soldiers... unlike before, when your reputation was only in the aristocratic social circle, and that kind of reputation at that."

"Even if you're right, this reputation is completely useless... I've been driven crazy by the endless blind dates these past few months. Gina's mother, Lady Sharon, has also been invited to afternoon tea by Her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Princess several times. Gina is under a lot of pressure right now."

Elsers smiled wryly.

"So that's why I'm here to offer you a remedy... Take a look at this first."

Tia took another sip of tea before opening the small storage pouch slung over her arm and taking out a stack of documents, placing them on the table.

"This is a topic that Valensa and I have been researching for quite some time. It was originally intended to be our graduation thesis for our theory course at the War College... However, things have changed recently, and we are now preparing to give you the results of our research."

"Oh? You and Valensa originally planned to use it as the topic for your graduation thesis at the War College?"

Elser's eyes immediately lit up with interest. She put down the cup of milk tea she had been trying to drink but couldn't, took the document from Tia, and looked at the title.

[On the effects of necromancy in the Barrens and its role in suppressing the development of wild beasts]

Chapter 8 The Undead Project

Elseris was slowly flipping through the paper with great interest, while Tia was in no hurry, leisurely sipping her tea and waiting patiently.

Plans can't keep up with changes. Neither Valensa nor Tia had expected that the wild beasts stationed around the underground ruins would be so tenacious, almost fighting to the death, turning Valensa's expansion into a protracted war.

Although the Kingdom of Fran does not invest much in the Barrens, it still frequently sends elite scouts into the Barrens to gather intelligence.

The underground ruins where Friggia was sealed were only about 60 kilometers away from the Fran border in a straight line. It was impossible to keep the fact that Valensa and Tia were confronting the wild beasts with undead a secret.

Valensa's explanation was both high-sounding and very much in line with the radical style of a young person.

Simply put, she was not satisfied with passively defending against the attacks of wild beasts every autumn. She wanted to actively harass and suppress the wild beasts in the desolate land, and even find an opportunity to completely eliminate them.

Similar ideas have been shared by many outstanding young people in French history, and these were indeed Valensa and Tia's true thoughts, but the royal family did not take them seriously.