Delphine Yuridina was afraid of Ian Fercurus.
He was the man who had given her her first defeat, and it was the first humiliation she had ever experienced.
After that day, Delphine sat blankly for several days, replaying the memories of that day in her mind.
Her opponent was an injured man who could not use one of his arms and was exhausted from fighting against a monster, while Delphine’s group had succeeded in a surprise attack. The conditions were such that the possibility of ‘defeat’ didn’t even cross her mind.
Yet, she lost.
It wasn’t that the strategy was wrong. Though it had its shortcomings, it was a plan designed to remove as many unfavorable variables as possible. In fact, at that moment, wasn’t Delphine close to victory?
There was only one variable Delphine hadn’t considered.
She had underestimated Ian Fercurus’s abilities.
In a previous encounter, Delphine had fought against Ian. She had been astonished by his decisiveness and judgment, and she kept in mind that he would be a person to display even greater prowess in real combat.
However, the way Ian appeared on the day of the Hunting Festival proved that even that assessment had fallen short.
It all happened in an instant.
Permian was subdued with his nose torn off. Olmar was brought down by the Holy Kingdom’s vision techniques, and soon Aisia became incapable of fighting due to the Sword Circle’s techniques.
Up until that point, Delphine remained frozen in place. The scenes in which she thought Ian would fall soon became shocking to her.
He wasn’t just strong; he was an entirely different person.
She was already aware of his terrifying competitive spirit and unreserved use of violence. But the Holy Kingdom’s vision techniques and the Sword Circle’s techniques were variables even Delphine couldn’t anticipate.
These were skills that would never be transmitted to outsiders. So how?
Before Delphine could resolve such questions, she had to face the man’s challenge.
At first, it seemed as though Delphine had the upper hand. No matter how strong Ian was in actual combat, the skill gap was evident. Not to mention, Ian was fighting with only one arm.
Delphine was able to regain her composure soon. It was unexpected, but it wasn’t a variable she couldn’t handle.
Just as she thought that, the space twisted, and she was ambushed by Ceria, and the man with the dagger in his mouth approached.
Seeing the blade touch her uvula left Delphine speechless. That very dagger was something she had once given him.
It was a complete defeat.
It was her first defeat, but there was no room for excuses. It was Delphine’s mistake, and she fell short.
So she thought to gracefully accept her loss and step back.
If only an axe blade hadn’t lodged in her shoulder.
The sound of crunching cartilage reverberated in Delphine’s mind. The scream that followed—the feminine scream she hadn’t made in a long time—was deafening.
She couldn’t gather her thoughts in the face of sudden pain. No, if it were just the pain, she could have tolerated it.
What frightened her was the fact that no matter what Ian did, Delphine couldn’t resist.
And her opponent was showing no sense of consideration for her circumstances. It was literally a situation where it would not be strange if Delphine were killed, plunging her into madness from the pain and terror stemming from the shock of her first defeat.
So she begged for forgiveness.
That humiliation of having to beg for her life was something Delphine carried in her heart for days afterward.
That feeling was like a spark. Once the flames were kindled, they twisted uncontrollably, driving Delphine to madness.
For a prideful noble lady, the humiliation of that day was something utterly unbearable. Not only had she lost, but now she was also begging for her life? Screaming like a weak girl?
She would rather die. Whether drinking water or alcohol, the fire in her heart wouldn’t extinguish.
Unable to catch a wink of sleep, she had been replaying the day’s nightmare, and Delphine Yuridina reached one conclusion.
Yes, all she had to do was fight again.
Even so, the history of her begging for her life wouldn’t be erased. But at the very least, she could cover it up. That was all Delphine wanted.
Before she completely lost her mind, she wanted to cover the wounds of defeat with memories of victory.
If that wasn’t possible, she would prefer death instead.
Delphine was in a hurry. When she wrote a letter to Ian, she wasn’t in her right mind. How could she stoop so low as to threaten a junior by mentioning the clan?
But backed into a corner, Delphine had lost even her base composure. She stood before Ian, ready to face death.
And she lost.
It was a devastating defeat. She couldn’t even graze him, and the Golden Lionsword, which Delphine had boasted about, was shattered by Ian’s Golden Lionsword.
In that moment, the pride of being the heir of the Yuridina Clan and her dignity as a swordsman shattered into pieces.
It was a foregone conclusion that raw violence followed. Along with blood, screams erupted. She was in a state where she wished to plead to be put out of her misery.
Yet Delphine endured. She vowed never to reenact such disgrace, but the words that flowed from Ian’s mouth were beyond her imagination.
“…Death is quite a luxurious end.”
At words she had never once contemplated, Delphine’s gaze turned blank.
“Yuridina, you know, right? That scars from magic are difficult to heal even with holy power. Of course, there are high priests at the Academy, so it should be fine in most cases, but…”
And the silvery light gathering around the blade.
“…What would happen if I shoved my arm into this aura? And my legs?”
“Wh-what are you trying to do?”
Even hearing the voice soaked in fear from Delphine, there was no ripple in the golden eyes of the man.
They were emotionless and cold. It was a moment when Delphine’s heart truly broke.
She couldn’t remember much afterward. When she regained her senses, Delphine found herself kneeling, banging her head on the ground.
Though she had vowed never to do so, in the end, Delphine gave in.
The memories of that day seeped into Delphine’s mind and chest like black mud.
All her pride had shattered. She no longer even had the desire to resist. Ian had mercilessly crushed the very existence of ‘Delphine Yuridina.’
It was scary. She feared making eye contact, and should he give her a stern command, she couldn’t possibly refuse.
Even as she was pulled away for a trivial request that offered no assistance, she trembled in fear until the moment she was headed into the forest with just the two of them.
She had been found out. Cold sweat dripped down her brow. There was no other explanation than that Elsi had ratted her out for having fought with her.
Had that girl quietly followed her and told on her? No, that was not it. Elsi didn’t want to be caught having argued with Delphine.
In fact, it was already too late to analyze the cause.
Just the two of them, in the forest.
Those two conditions were enough to summon nightmares engraved in Delphine’s mind.
She could become minced meat. It was only a hopeful thought that she might never be able to wield a sword again. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what that monster, devoid of humanity, might do.
She could be thrown alive to monsters as food. Or perhaps made to rip off her own flesh, or have her limbs severed so she could never rise again.
Just as Delphine trembled in a flurry of ominous thoughts.
“…It’s true. Or do you think I’d fight holding a hatchet or something? I’m no ‘hatchet killer.’”
Hearing those words, Delphine was certain.
She had been found out.
The term ‘hatchet killer’ was what she had used to insult Ian when arguing with Elsi. Elsi had previously demanded an apology for her use of that terminology.
Delphine’s fear peaked. The moment Ian showed any hint of movement, Delphine found herself instinctively pleading for her life.
But Ian only displayed disbelief.
With no response from Ian, Delphine hesitated to lift herself up.
It was truly humiliating.
She felt like a trained pet dog. Ian was the master, and Delphine was the puppy carefully observing his every move.
Yet, Delphine’s downfall was only just beginning.
The moment she saw the hatchet smash through the skull of a monster, her mind went blank.
Countless images tangled in confusion. Most of them were memories of the golden eyes of the man looking down on her amidst blood.
Before she knew it, Delphine was curled up, trembling. The memories of that time faded away. All she felt when her senses came back was self-loathing.
It was a sense of despair beyond shame.
It was over. As a swordsman, and as a human, Delphine felt the despair of having met her end seep thickly through the blood vessels of her brain.
If using a hatchet could result in this, she could never rebel against him for the rest of her life. Even just being in his presence rendered Delphine utterly useless.
So she thought.
Delphine’s blood-red gaze captured Ian’s back. His body, drenched in pouring moonlight, was covered in blood. His uniform was soaked from the stab wound on his back.
His arm also seemed injured. And above all, he was turned away from Delphine.
Should she ambush him?
This could be her last chance. In the moment Delphine regained her senses and Ian took out his weapon, right then.
The only chance a dog tied to a leash had to seek freedom lay right before her.
The beating of her heart thudded heavily against her skull. Unconsciously, she gripped her sword tightly. At that moment, Delphine hesitated for quite a while.
“…What will you do?”
The man casually asked while turning his head slightly.
His golden eyes, vivid against his blood-soaked hair, overwhelmed Delphine’s vision. Just as he had done when crushing her limbs with the hatchet.
He knew.
Only then did Delphine snap back to her senses, feeling a rush of exhaustion. It was too infuriating and absurd.
He had been the comrade who fought monsters in her stead. Given the corpses scattered around Delphine, he must have protected her as well. But to try to take advantage of his injury?
It was too shameful, and even more so, despairing to entertain such thoughts.
Even this situation, which she had thought to be her last chance, was under Ian’s control.
Once again, the rebellious spirit she had held up fell apart like shattered glass.
It was a form of surrender.
Delphine Yuridina could never defeat Ian Fercurus, for a lifetime.
That fact etched deeply into her heart and ached. Delphine bit her lip and swallowed her tears.
“…I’ll go back.”
“You’ve made a good decision.”
As expected. A ceremonial remark commending the judgment of Yuridina for not getting reckless.
Had she attempted a surprise attack, she would have ended up in harm’s way. And she likely would have endured unimaginable torture thereafter. Delphine’s shoulders trembled at the thought of such possibilities.
He was a terrifying man. Not just in physical power, but also in shrewdness.
Ian had brought Delphine to this forest to test her.
Delphine felt true relief. It was so absurd that she felt joy for not rebelling against Ian once again, which made her despise herself, but there was nothing she could do.
Delphine was already broken. It was better to ensure her safety.
Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, Ian’s hand rested on Delphine’s shoulder.
With a dazed look, Delphine glanced at Ian’s face. He was wearing a warm smile.
And that made her even more fearful.
“…Then, shall we punish you a bit before we go back?”
The next words he uttered didn’t match at all with that expression.
Several memories flashed through Delphine’s mind.
She had insulted Ian as a ‘hatchet killer.’ And though she hadn’t acted on it, she dared to entertain the insolent thought of rebelling against Ian.
She had to be punished, without question. In the face of such an explicit conclusion, Delphine’s eyes filled with despair.
A dog that bit its master must be punished.
Delphine was gradually recognizing that relationship as natural. And as a result.
Her knees buckled on their own.
It was already the third declaration of defeat.
