“Can I hit you one more time?”
It was a blunt remark, spoken without any filters. Raw words, devoid of any smoothing.
It was also quite rude. The Lady Virgin Saint, perhaps not expecting such words, opened her eyes wide, then chewed on her lips before looking down.
And soon after, a sound of suppressed anger emerged from her.
“…Ugh, ughhh, ughhhhh!”
The Lady Virgin Saint began to stomp her feet. Perhaps due to her unexpected strength, the thuds echoed loudly. I simply stood by in silence and admired the way she trembled.
That expression of hers suited the Lady Virgin Saint. Her light pink gaze glinted sharply, glaring at me.
It seemed my intentions had hit the mark. A satisfied smile crept onto my lips as I confirmed my objective had been achieved.
I can dominate the Lady Virgin Saint’s emotions!
“See, I ended up caring too much and got hurt! You trash! Have you been thinking such things every time you see me?! You even tried to stab me with an axe!”
Hearing those words, I stroked my chin. If I were to be honest, I somewhat disliked violence, so I never thought about hitting her every time I saw her.
Maybe only when the Lady Virgin Saint would provoke me with her snorting sounds?
I decided to clarify my main thoughts whenever I looked at her in order to dispel her misunderstandings.
“No, in fact, I did think a bit about wanting to touch your chest.”
“Do you think I’d let you?! Be thankful I’m not dragging you to a religious trial for blasphemy!”
It wasn’t as if touching would harm her, but I felt somewhat frustrated. When I made a slightly sullen expression, the Lady Virgin Saint looked even more incredulous.
As my eyes subtly indicated a glance at her breasts, she quickly covered them with her arms. A glint of suspicion directed at me.
Previously, she had encouraged me to look, but it seemed her thoughts had changed since then. I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
“…Anyway, that’s how it is.”
With a conclusion drawn without my consent, the Lady Virgin Saint looked at me, puzzled. I wore a wry smile.
“As you can see, I’m not a particularly great person. Let alone a paragon of virtue. I’m just someone honest about my desires. I do what I want.”
My words flowed smoothly. So unexpectedly that I found myself speaking honestly.
Perhaps I had started to develop feelings for the Lady Virgin Saint. After all, she wore a facade of pretense daily, unable to trust human kindness carelessly.
“To you, I’m trash; I’m just an inscrutable adult to the orphans; and to Guildford, I’m just a kind noble. So don’t worry too much about it.”
As I took a step forward, the Lady Virgin Saint flinched and trembled, but I did nothing to assault her.
I merely brushed past her.
“…In any case, that’s my reality.”
The Lady Virgin Saint seemed perplexed by my conclusion as she stared at me blankly. I held a bitter smile.
“Like I said, I’m not really a good person. I can’t even be considered a virtuous one. I’m simply honest about my desires and act as I please.”
Time flowed on, and before long, several days passed.
Every deep breath sent a sensation of inflation through my lungs. The more I repeated inhalation and exhalation, the sharper my vision became, and I felt the blood flowing down to my fingertips distinctly.
There was only one opponent. An old swordsman known as Guildford, who had retired long ago, once a sword expert, but now just the head of an orphanage in the wilderness.
However, I saw no openings. Had he not been lazy during training all this time? His skills were such that it wouldn’t be surprising if he were still in the active ranks.
Guildford threw me a single word.
“…Come.”
There was no time to wait. Guildford’s sword was thrusting toward me immediately.
With a fearsome speed ripping through the air with a piercing thrust, I knew where I had to dive into—that space.
Daring to plunge into the attack range drawn by a master, someone with his capabilities was not something a rational person would do.
But the hellish training I had undergone countless times dulled my fears.
With a loud thrusting sound as I kicked off the ground, a straight line was drawn across the world. I charged forward with all my strength. Before the sword even arrived, I managed to reach that close distance.
The problem arose at this point. In the heavy flow of time, I saw the blade closing in on my throat.
I had to move forward. To perfectly infiltrate that distance, there was no other choice.
If I hesitated at that moment, I would only expose an opening. I had to lean into the trajectory and gallop along with that flow—a madman’s technique.
That was the deflection.
I clenched my teeth. This decision had been long set. Taking one step forward and as the point of the blade drew near my throat, I would spin along its path and infiltrate it.
This was an action principle I had engraved in my mind countless times. However, it was an incredibly short moment that broke down a moment into fragments.
Guildford’s sword paused upright, then struck my upper body with a sound that resembled thunder.
It was the strike of an experienced swordsman. Despite altering the route partway, he still transferred force like a whip. My body was sent crashing down to the ground.
A shattering pain pierced through my forearm. I groaned, writhing on the ground.
“You hesitated at the last moment. Then it appears clearly. If it were a clumsy opponent, it might be vague, but in the hands of an experienced master, one can instantly choose a second option.”
His voice felt almost cold. As he laid my mistake bare in a calm manner, my groans turned into an outburst.
“No, even so, I only hesitated a little…!”
“In an actual fight, there’s no room for ‘even so’. Are you planning to make excuses even in the afterlife?”
Guildford’s words contained no weaknesses, as sharp as his swordsmanship. I, who had shown a hint of anger for a moment, ultimately sighed and pushed myself to rise.
No matter what I did, I just couldn’t shake off the hesitation from that last moment. I, too, am made of flesh and blood; how could I not have the desire to live?
Following life is an instinct of living beings. It’s even said that those who have decided on suicide regret their final decision after much deliberation in those irreversible last moments.
Still shaking off the shock, I took a moment to regain my balance and staggered. After a moment, I grasped the sword again as if it were already familiar.
Grinding my teeth together, I spoke.
“…Please, just one more time.”
Only then did Guildford wear a satisfied smile. Just before he resumed his stance, a voice suddenly called out to me.
“I-an!”
A desperate voice called from somewhere. As I turned my gaze slightly behind, there was Senior Elsi running toward me, panting.
She immediately wore a teary expression and looked over the wounds still lingering on my body. Then she glared at Guildford as if he were a dog who had attacked its owner.
Though considering her small frame, she looked more like a small dog.
It didn’t seem threatening at all. Perhaps it seemed the same to Guildford, who wore a wry smile.
His eyes looked like he was observing a granddaughter showing off.
“How dare a commoner do this to I-an!”
However, Senior Elsi was serious, raising her voice threateningly and gathering her magic power. The surrounding atmosphere rippled ominously.
Originally kind-hearted and averse to fighting, Guildford would have probably indulged in Senior Elsi’s antics, but in training mode, he was strictly no-nonsense.
He shook his head and spoke firmly.
“…Such is the way for training. It’s unavoidable.”
In response to that firm attitude, Senior Elsi looked taken aback instead. Her eyes widened.
No doubt she still held some respect for her elder, I thought as I observed the situation.
“Commoner… talking back?!”
As those words flowed from Senior Elsi’s cute lips, I facepalmed and sighed. No matter how many times I saw it, she had a very twisted perspective of the world for someone with that appearance.
Senior Elsi then began waving her fist in the air, threatening him.
“Old man, really… Is your vision failing you?! Hey, I’m Elsi from the Rainelle Clan! I can crush this shabby orphanage in a heartbeat…!”
“Elsi.”
At my quiet call, Senior Elsi turned, looking startled. Now without needing to point it out, I tapped the hilt of my sword concealed beneath my cloak.
The sound of solid metal echoed. That was enough.
Senior Elsi began to tremble visibly and lowered her gaze, pushing down her hood.
“…I-I was wrong.”
At that moment, I smiled contently and ruffled Senior Elsi’s hair. Instantly, her expression brightened.
“Good job, Senior Elsi.”
A beaming smile, dreamy eyes. She looked all too happy, regardless of where one looked.
Guildford seemed somewhat bewildered, but I was a person who pursued efficiency, so I inquired about what was going on with Senior Elsi.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Ugh, huh? Ehehe… That arrogant lower noble named Reto asked me to call you… heehee…”
Reto, I pondered for a moment. As I tried to recall any recent matters worth discussing with him, a thought suddenly struck my mind.
“Did you find it? The base of the monkey monsters?”
“Yeah, yeah… Seems we succeeded in the search, and he wants to hold a meeting… so, uh, touch me more.”
Great! I felt a sense of relief as things started to piece together.
During that time, Senior Delphine, Senior Elsi, Celin, Ceria, the Lady Virgin Saint, and Yulen were exploring the forest together. They were trying to find out what the monkey monsters were guarding.
However, it was impossible to launch an immediate attack there. There was no knowing how many monkey monsters were gathered, and if there was a head monster, there could be even one additional named monster.
Thus, it was decided to gather forces for a single assault. Perhaps that was why Senior Elsi insisted on calling me, even while referring to Reto as an “arrogant lower noble.”
It must be an important matter.
I glanced at Guildford. He wore a somewhat worried expression.
“…Are you really okay? As I mentioned, there might be a mage. It’s dangerous for you all.”
“If it’s too risky, I’ll just run away, so don’t worry too much. Guildford, please protect the orphanage.”
With a sigh that seemed to concede defeat, Guildford nodded.
That was it. It was about time to uncover the secrets of this request.
I silently clenched and relaxed my fists. After days of rest aside from training, my body had fully recovered.
By now, the Lady Virgin Saint wouldn’t be able to deter me any longer. Even if I got injured, it would be serious, but right now, every ounce of strength was valuable for the upcoming all-out confrontation.
I recalled the memories of that night. The piercingly blue moonlight and the claws of a monster that had penetrated my abdomen.
Now, it was time for revenge.
My eyes sank deeply in determination.
