“I’m here to convey my gratitude.”
At Ian’s words, Delphine’s eyes widened in surprise.
Was this mockery? Yet the look in Ian’s eyes was nothing but serious.
It was sincere.
Having received an education as the heir of a prestigious family, she had seen countless humans. She had the discernment to recognize such things.
But why?
Though she had a role, it was merely a supportive one. By the end, she was nothing but a burden.
Ian was the one who bore all the pain and wounds to achieve victory.
Delphine couldn’t understand what she had done to deserve thanks from him, leaving her gaze blank.
“Thank you for trusting and following me. We wouldn’t have won without you, especially at the end when you listened to my words and threw the sword.”
Delphine’s mind went blank.
Wasn’t that obvious?
There was no way not to trust and follow him. Delphine had to prove her worth. Yet Ian was genuinely thanking her.
Fumbling, her lips parted.
“I-I was just following your instructions…”
“Yes, and that’s why we won.”
With that, Ian let out a soft laugh.
As if saying something obvious.
“It’s our victory, Senior Delphine. We promised, right?”
“Our victory”? To anyone who saw, that was something Ian had accomplished alone.
Yet Ian had instantly made Delphine a victor.
She had done nothing at all.
She had merely stood by Ian’s side and followed his orders.
Her heart began to race.
It was as if the blood that had lost its vitality started pulsing again. For a moment, Delphine’s breath became slightly ragged.
It was strange. The inferiority complex and sense of defeat that had tormented her began to melt away.
Yes, after all, Ian was not someone she could defeat.
She had to reverse her thinking. She had to be the victor.
Delphine recalled a promise she had made with Ian one night.
“You said you’d help me win… Do you trust me now?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Words failed to leave her lips. A jolt of realization coursed through her spine, ringing in her mind.
Ian had promised to make Delphine a winner.
And he had kept that promise.
Delphine didn’t have to worry about anything.
All she had to do was stand beside Ian and faithfully follow his commands.
Then Delphine could be the victor.
Was it really that simple?
Delphine remained silent, and Ian, still sporting a faint smile, spoke as if he were joking.
“Remember our promise? If you help me win, you’ll listen to me from now on.”
Delphine’s eyes trembled.
It was ecstasy.
Ah, I only need to listen to that man.
There was no need to think. If he told her to bark, she would, and if he wanted her to perform, she would just do it.
Then Delphine could remain the victor.
Of course, she would need to do something, but compared to the burden Ian carried, her pain and struggles were trivial.
Hadn’t he proven that?
Standing at the forefront, enduring all the wounds until the brink of death, he had borne everything.
Delphine could finally understand Elsi’s feelings.
You sly one, you already knew.
This simple and clear truth.
Delphine’s blood-red eyes began to shimmer with emotions she could not identify.
Her mind, trained throughout her life, was starting to be dyed from the roots.
Like thin paper touched by paint.
“Then… please take care of me going forward. I wanted to say that, Senior Delphine.”
As those embarrassed words escaped her, Delphine bit back tears that were welling up.
Her head hung low.
She had merely stood by him, had just obeyed his orders, yet the man was lavish in his praise for her.
How could it be, how much…
How merciful he was.
Delphine’s body trembled with the intense pleasure of being recognized by someone superior. A thrilling jolt seemed to run down her spine.
It was a joy so vivid that she instinctively squeezed her thighs together.
Only then did Delphine have to admit from the depths of her heart.
Ian Fercurus was Delphine Yuridina’s master.
He brought her victory and bore all her worries and pains.
Delphine wanted nothing more than to rise immediately and kneel. She would gladly prostrate herself.
If only she could somehow show this ecstatic feeling.
However, Ian’s expression felt too warm, so Delphine decided to hold off just a little longer.
Instead, she could only respond in a muffled voice.
“Y-Yes, yes… I understand.”
It was a voice that came from deep within her heart.
Like a slave kissing her master’s feet, it was filled with obedience.
At her voice, tinted with slight moisture, Ian looked a bit bewildered but soon wore a wry smile.
It seemed he wondered if Senior Delphine had been through tough times.
He might realize Delphine’s true feelings someday, but at least it wasn’t today.
Suddenly, he spoke as if a thought had occurred to him.
“By the way, do you have any wishes? I’ll do my best to fulfill whatever you want.”
Ian was obviously referring to distributing the rewards for defeating the Mage.
But to Delphine now, the words felt like they were addressing a completely different issue.
It was astonishing; Delphine’s eyes sparkled with an unmistakable hope.
It felt as if he was saying he would reward an obedient servant, much like petting Elsi’s head.
After some consideration, Delphine’s cheeks flushed slightly.
She cautiously opened her mouth.
“W-Well, then…”
The sound of Delphine swallowing a dry gulp could be heard. Ian looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Unable to face Ian’s gaze, she averted her eyes slightly and continued.
“A… punishment.”
“Excuse me?”
As Ian tilted his head in confusion, Delphine let out a slightly flustered breath. Her blood-red eyes sparkled with a mischievous gleam.
“Please give me a punishment, Master…”
It was then that Ian’s expression quickly hardened.
He realized something had gone wrong. But it was already too late.
His hand instinctively moved to his forehead.
That day marked the unexpected emergence of a second slave for Ian.
Days passed once more.
During that time, Ian had to keep up with a busy schedule. Ever since the events at the orphanage had come to light, he was approached by far too many people.
Not only officials from various countries but also heirs from the Empire’s five prestigious families had sent requests to meet him. This was not unusual.
For a millennium, the Academy had nurtured the continent’s best talents, so it was not surprising that there would be fierce competition to recruit any standout individual.
However, I deliberately withheld my responses.
My life was like a tumbleweed, not knowing where I’d be heading the next day. With the excessive mission of saving the world weighing on my shoulders, I had no plans to settle in one place for a while.
Someday, I would have to decide.
But that time was not now. Perhaps it would be after the world was saved.
The fortunate thing was that I managed to grasp some traces of the Dark Cult after overcoming the events mentioned in the second letter.
The Dark Priest Miltram.
He was involved in kidnapping orphans and pedestrians to create Flesh Nests.
As long as I opposed the Dark Cult and the Delphrium they worshipped, I would inevitably cross paths with them at some point.
On the day I would destroy all their schemes, I would finally be able to shed the heavy burden on my shoulders.
In truth, I didn’t have much concern about that.
The idea of the world ending felt unreal, a warning against the terrifying creature of the Flesh Nest that I had witnessed, yet I could hardly grasp it.
It felt like a story out of a dream, so I found myself without any thoughts.
Rather, my recent worries were much closer.
It was because Senior Delphine and Senior Elsi had taken it upon themselves to be my servants.
They followed my every word, and I was so curious that I once issued an absurd command.
“Kneel and kiss my feet.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Senior Delphine knelt down. Senior Elsi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but seeing Delphine’s fearless action, she gritted her teeth and quickly followed suit, her knees hitting the ground.
Of course, before either of them could kiss my feet, I panicked and backed away.
“No way, you’re actually going to do that?! Don’t both of you have any pride?!”
However, Delphine and Elsi only looked at me with confusion.
Their eyes seemed to question what I was saying, and I could only let out a sigh of exasperation.
I had inadvertently gained the obedience of two heirs from prestigious families.
Of course, I wasn’t happy about it. To be more honest, it felt burdensome.
I still couldn’t understand why these two women, who were admirable in background, appearance, and ability, were so fixated on me. A woman’s heart still remained an unknown domain to me.
Another strange aspect was that I had been running into the Lady Virgin Saint far too often lately.
“…Hmph, fancy running into you again.”
She spoke with an air of aloofness. As she leaned against one arm, her already prominent curves were accentuated even more.
Feigning coincidence, she waved her other hand in dismissal.
“It’s annoying, but this much repetition gets tiring. It feels as if the Heavenly Deity is connecting us…”
“I have a lecture now, so I’ll be on my way.”
As I began to walk away after saying that, the Lady Virgin Saint visibly became flustered, stamping her feet and shouting.
“…But, there’s no next lecture!”
I directed a questioning look at her. It was an unspoken inquiry about how she knew that fact.
She then coughed cutely, clearing her throat and trying to hide her flushed face. Wafting her fan in a flurry.
“Y-Yulen told me. I have a good memory, so I remember even trivial details.”
Aside from that, my days continued to pass peacefully.
At least until that morning arrived.
After a long time spent drinking alone, I became so intoxicated that I forgot how I even fell asleep.
And then the next day came.
No, it was ‘that day.’ Time had already passed too far.
A headache threatening to burst, and a strangely vivid dream.
I quenched my burning throat with water from a flask, almost as if it were a familiar routine by now.
Then, I cast my gaze silently to the dusty table by my bedside.
Just as I expected.
An overturned calendar and an antique letter envelope rested there.
I could do nothing but run my dry hands over my face.
“…Damn it.”
Good times were always too short-lived.
