“……Then, should I get punished a bit before returning?”
It was a statement that I let slip out, but it was quite a grim one. In fact, even as it left my mouth, I felt a chuckle trying to break free.
As a junior and merely the second son of a rural noble, was I really going to scold Senior Delphine?
It sounded utterly ridiculous. I had hoped it would be taken as a sort of joke, but Senior Delphine’s reaction vastly exceeded my expectations.
First, despair flashed across her eyes, which resembled red apples.
Then, clear fear became etched into her expression, soon followed by a feeling akin to resignation.
Senior Delphine started to tremble, and before I knew it, she was kneeling.
The immediacy of her reaction left me utterly bewildered. Tears were pooling in Senior Delphine’s eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, then buried her head in the ground.
The thud it made seemed quite painful. Yet, Senior Delphine maintained that position, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“I-I’m really sorry for my insolence… P-please have mercy… Huh, please… Huhuh….”
I found the sudden shift in her mindset somewhat shocking.
Of course, Senior Delphine had looked fearful when wielding a hand axe. But she wasn’t holding one now, and while I had used the term ‘punishment’, didn’t it imply a rather warm atmosphere?
It was around the time we finished hunting monsters and celebrated our safe return. I couldn’t fathom why Senior Delphine, who still showed signs of rebellion, was acting this way.
Even while she felt intimidated when we made eye contact, she had still held her pride.
As I fell into deep thought, Senior Delphine shivered pitifully. Her quaking voice tickled my ears.
“P-please… Huh, just an arm or a leg, forgive me… Huh, please….”
What kind of imagination must she possess to refer to losing an arm or a leg as merely that much?
It seemed there was a serious disconnect between the ‘me’ that Senior Delphine envisioned and the ‘me’ that truly existed.
It was troubling. I let out a sigh and attempted to help Senior Delphine up.
If only I hadn’t suddenly thought of something.
Now that I considered it, Senior Delphine hadn’t believed my words even right after entering the forest. My sole purpose had been monster hunting.
Still, Senior Delphine had stubbornly maintained the suspicion that I intended to harm her.
Her distrust towards me was that firm. Especially in a situation like this, she wouldn’t believe it even if I claimed it was a misunderstanding.
There was another difficulty. Every time I wielded the hand axe, Senior Delphine would become incapable of fighting back, which would thwart my plans. She was one of our group’s key assets.
My thought process began to heat up. The fierce spinning of thoughts forced a realization.
I had to actually punish her.
For now, it was the only option left. I deliberately imitated a solemn voice.
“……Delphine Yuridina, you understand your mistake, don’t you?”
“P-please… Huh, forgive me….”
Immediately after hearing my words, Senior Delphine bowed her head even deeper. Tears were dropping from her eyes.
It was an attitude that suggested she understood her wrongdoing better than anyone.
I was genuinely curious about what that wrongdoing was, but asking at this point would be almost impossible.
Instead, I cleared my throat and further steadied my voice.
I opened my mouth in a grave tone.
“In that case, you must accept your punishment, right?”
“I- I understand… Huh, I do….”
Senior Delphine readily accepted my words. To be honest, I couldn’t understand why, but in any case, in her world, it seemed natural for her to receive punishment.
That was the problem.
Senior Delphine’s world was too firmly established. I didn’t know what kind of experience the ‘me’ from the future inflicted upon her, but it seemed that event had become a nightmare, distorting her perception.
Thus, she continued to deny and doubt the facts that clashed with that world.
Even if I asserted that I had no intention of attacking her, it would conflict with her perception of the ‘me’ that existed in her world, so she wouldn’t believe it.
It was the same now. Even if Senior Delphine did not need to seek forgiveness, she wouldn’t believe it.
There wouldn’t be any exceptions, no matter what I did.
In that case, there was only one method left.
My hand once again grasped the hand axe. The gleaming edge made ripples in the air.
The moment she sensed that, Senior Delphine’s breath quickened.
Huhh, huhh. Her exhalations were growing more ragged. Senior Delphine slightly lifted her head to sneak a glance at me but immediately buried her face back into the ground upon seeing the axe blade reflecting the moonlight.
She must have wanted to scream. After all, the brief glimpse I had of Senior Delphine’s eyes was filled with terror.
The trembling in her body intensified. Her legs, shaking uncontrollably, seemed to want to flee at any moment. Yet, Senior Delphine seemed to be forcing herself to hold back that urge.
As if thinking it would allow her to receive a lesser punishment.
What kind of person would Senior Delphine see me as? My expression turned sour for a moment, but it was already like spilled water.
I decided to see this through to the end.
“……I’ll finish this in one go.”
There was no prelude.
Along with that declaration, the momentum was born.
Without hesitation, the axe came crashing down.
There was no hesitation. In the end, Senior Delphine let out a scream at the last moment.
“P-please… Kyaaaaa! F-forgive me…!?”
But as time passed and no pain came, Senior Delphine appeared baffled, struggling to find her words.
Her head slowly rose. Right beside her was the axe, a hair’s breadth away from striking.
Senior Delphine’s crimson pupils shook violently.
“Huhhhh, huhhh….”
Her breath became ragged. I turned the axe blade towards Senior Delphine’s cheek.
And at the very moment she closed her eyes tightly.
Swish.
The axe blade merely grazed Senior Delphine’s cheek. Just enough to leave a hairline cut.
Her vermilion eyes opened wide in confusion. And her gaze filled with the sight of the axe blade that had just brushed against her cheek.
Senior Delphine’s expression was one of utter disbelief.
A slight amount of blood seeped from the cut on her cheek. It was shallow enough that she would probably heal within minutes, considering her skill level.
Of course, it wouldn’t leave a scar.
For a while, silence enveloped the forest.
Regardless of all that, I sheathed the axe back at my waist. Senior Delphine, still dazed and holding her breath, finally began to turn her gaze toward me.
I grinned and leaned forward slightly. Then I extended my hand.
“That was your punishment. It hurts, doesn’t it?”
“Th- that… ugh….”
Senior Delphine seemed to want to say something, her lips moving, but no coherent sound formed. She merely took my hand in a daze and staggered back to her feet.
I granted her request.
If it was only natural for her to be punished in Senior Delphine’s world, then I would accommodate that. However, that punishment would be completely meaningless and come with a very mild intensity.
Then, gradually, the concept of ‘punishment’ would become something she no longer feared, and her fear of me would lessen a bit as well.
Whether it would have an immediate effect was uncertain. But after a few repetitions, perhaps I could prevent any incidents where she would lose her composure just by seeing my hand axe.
It was a way to cover up her world with a new perception without conflicting with her established views.
For something dreamed up by the foolish swordsmanship department, I thought it was a rather splendid solution. I then said to Senior Delphine.
“By the way, you have a healing potion, right? Hand it over.”
“Ah, uh? Uh, um….”
Still sounding dazed, Senior Delphine retrieved the healing potion from her pocket. I poured that potion over my back without any hesitation.
Then, I emptied the remaining potion over my arm and watched as my flesh bubbled and healed.
I had no idea what kind of chatter I might encounter if I went back to the Lady Virgin Saint, so it seemed better to treat it with a healing potion. After all, it wasn’t my money to spend.
Still, it was cheap for the price of Senior Delphine’s life. With that thought, I began to move my feet again.
“Then take your time coming, Senior Delphine… Oh, and please don’t openly clash with Senior Elsi from now on.”
My hand waved, and there was no response from Senior Delphine.
That was perfectly fine. I had accomplished something today.
Now, I should head to find Reto.
Even after Ian left, Delphine stood there for a long time without saying a word.
She simply stood still, blankly staring at Ian’s back.
Why was that? Delphine pondered this question.
She could have steeled her arms and legs. That was the lowest point, and if Ian set his mind to it, anything beyond that was possible.
Delphine was a loser, and Ian was a winner. She was practically his possession.
After begging before him countless times, the shame had become almost hazy. All that remained was the faint smile Ian had shown at the last moment.
The tiny line etched across her cheek.
Delphine’s hand traced her cheek, and she began to mumble in a dazed voice.
“……Have mercy.”
It was a slip of the tongue. Delphine felt odd even after saying those words.
It wasn’t until quite a while later that she realized what she had just uttered and jumped in shock.
“No, no, no… I’m crazy! That killer has no mercy….”
But she couldn’t continue further. As she clumsily scrambled to gather her thoughts about Ian, she instinctively closed her mouth.
Her fearful gaze scanned her surroundings. She wondered if Ian might still be lingering around, watching over her.
This could have been Ian’s test as well. Delphine felt a chill run down her spine, and she hesitated, trying to recover.
“……He’s not a killer. Yeah, he can be merciful too.”
While saying that, Delphine began to walk in the direction Ian had left, contemplating his last words.
Don’t openly clash with Elsi in the future.
Then, what should she do instead?
Suddenly, the scene from the day she first arrived at the orphanage resurfaced in her mind. Elsi, proudly showing off her expression while mocking her, doing Ian’s petty tasks.
It was a disgraceful event for a high-ranking noble.
However, that pride had just been shattered, and she had never pulled back from a fight throughout her life.
Didn’t Elsi flaunt her victory in their last confrontation precisely because she was favored by an absolute powerhouse like Ian? Delphine’s thoughts naturally led her to one conclusion.
Then what, accommodating that wouldn’t be bad either.
If Ian were to stand by Delphine, Elsi wouldn’t be able to treat her carelessly any longer.
Rationalizing for herself, Delphine desperately turned her eyes away from any emotion.
It felt good. The moment her cheek was lightly scratched.
It felt as if all her anxieties and sins were washing away, and it felt incredibly nice.
Delphine decided to regard that as competitiveness.
With a sound of “Huh,” the crimson gleam in Delphine’s eyes began to deepen as she walked through the darkness.
