Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: When Spring Comes (4)
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Whack!
With a loud bang, a young guard went flying.
His name was Pablo.
He was the youngest among the guards standing watch in the central courtyard.
"Who the hell gave that slave a wooden sword without permission? Even if it's for training, it's still a weapon—don't you know that?!"
Pablo, who had been struck in the face and knocked down, wiped the blood from his split lip and glanced up at Pedro.
"Tch. Sorry, sir."
"You. Is that the attitude of someone who's sorry?"
Veins bulged on Pedro's face.
He looked ready to kick Pablo right then and there, but his fellow guards quickly rushed over to hold him back.
"Ease up, Pedro. You're not our captain anymore, you know."
"You bastards..."
A dozen pairs of defiant eyes glared at Pedro.
"What are those looks? I'll remember every one of you! When I get reinstated..."
"Get it through your head already. Your time is over."
"What...?"
They had bowed to him only because he basked in Isabel's favor as captain.
But they were sick and tired of his abuses, which he committed relying solely on that.
"Why is it so noisy? Planning a midnight party or something?"
The barracks door burst open, and a middle-aged man strode in with heavy steps.
Ruben, who had taken Pedro's place as guard captain.
A red scarf was wrapped around his neck.
"Ruben... you."
"Is that how you talk to a superior, Pedro? You trying to get disciplined while you're at it?"
"...Sorry, Captain."
Pedro bowed his head in humiliation.
Snickers echoed from those around him.
His shoulders trembled as he clenched his fists tight.
Though Lian had only recently undergone his coming-of-age ceremony.
In a certain sense, this was the moment he truly became a man.
"Hey, Pablo."
"Yo, Lian. You caused all that ruckus yesterday, but you look pretty good. Wait, no way... you didn't."
"Shh. Anything more is invading my privacy."
"You little punk. You've really become a man now."
Pablo grinned lecherously and punched Lian's shoulder.
"Ow! That hurts! My whole body's already covered in bruises!"
"Whoops! Sorry. But with a body like that...? Man, youth! Pure youth!"
"You're only four years older than me, Pablo..."
Relationships start with greetings, after all.
After exchanging them consistently for three months as he came and went.
He had naturally grown close enough with Pablo and a few other guards to chat casually.
"Whoa? What happened to your lip? It was fine yesterday."
"Oh, this? Pedro caught me giving you that wooden sword."
"Oh no, sorry. It's because of me..."
"Forget it, man. Don't sweat it. You should've seen that guy's face yesterday, though. Priceless...!"
Pablo savored the memory like a gourmet relishing fine cuisine.
He knew Pedro wasn't well-liked, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
The fact that things still seemed to function on the surface despite that was, in a way, terrifying.
'The Lapis Lazuli Merchant House. This mansion. They're all just Isabel's toy box.'
Was it right to aim for promotion from slave to her pillar consort like this?
If he slipped up, he might end up like Pedro—or worse.
"Well, have a good day."
"You too. Don't get caught slacking."
As Lian headed to work, he fiddled with the necklace around his neck.
Whether he stayed or left wasn't up to him anyway.
There were ways, but they were suboptimal choices to avoid the worst outcome.
Besides, he had already put down roots here.
And the soil here was far more fertile than during his serf days.
Things he couldn't even imagine back then were now within his grasp.
Even if he had to leave someday.
He would never revert to that serf boy.
"Good morning, old man Diego."
"You're late. Overslept? Already lazy at your age. Tsk."
"Would your tongue sprout needles if you said one warm word this morning?"
"Yeah. It's a shitty morning. Hurry up and sort these ledgers, kid."
At least he was glad to have noticed Isabel's twisted nature early.
If fruit hung beyond the spiderweb, he could just go around it.
The problem was charging in blindly and getting caught.
"By the way, old man. How long have you worked here? Seems like forever."
"Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"Just curious. We've been together over three months, but we haven't talked much personally."
"You dullard... It'll be thirty years at the merchant house soon enough."
"Whoa! So you've been here since Isabel took over? Tough as nails."
"The way you talk, you punk!"
He should root himself here a bit more.
Carefully, so as not to step into Isabel's traps.
After all, people like Diego had endured by her side for over twenty years.
Crunch—
A faint flapping sound drifted in through the open window.
Lian absentmindedly turned his head toward it.
A large beetle was struggling, caught in a spiderweb draped between tree branches.
The more it thrashed, the more violently the web shook.
The predator, sensing the vibrations of its prey, slowly approached.
Yet the beetle kept struggling.
Unaware that it was hastening its own death.
Late afternoon, when long shadows stretched across the central courtyard.
A massive shadow blocked a maid passing through a secluded corridor in the mansion.
"Eek! You scared me! P-Pedro, sir?"
Blocking her way was a man who was no longer guard captain—just an ordinary guard.
Pedro.
"Come to the usual spot tonight."
"Pardon?"
As if exchanging secret codes.
Pedro turned away after those brief words.
"Um, sorry, but I'm not feeling well today..."
But the maid's response halted his steps.
"You?"
"Pardon...? Eek!"
Her eyes darted wildly, as if she'd lost her mind.
With them came a brutish hand grabbing her throat.
"You're the one who blabbed useless crap to that slave, right? You fell for that slick bastard too, didn't you?!"
"Guh! Gack...!"
"You bitch, that guy—daring to look down on me? You think I'm that easy?!"
"Eek! Eeek...!"
The maid flailed, shoved against the wall.
But she couldn't easily escape the vise of his arm, thicker than her neck.
"What did you tell him? What did you whisper while rubbing your stinking body against him?!"
"...!!"
Pedro squeezed her breast hard, pressing further.
Her face twisted in pain and terror drained of color.
"Can't talk if you can't breathe, huh? If you have questions, let her go first."
A voice grating on Pedro's nerves.
His eyes, filled with madness and rage, slowly turned backward.
"...What are you doing here?"
"Pardon? This is part of the mansion. Any reason I can't be here?"
A secluded spot no maid would pass through.
And this guy shows up right on cue?
"I see. It was all your trap from the start."
Slump—thud!
Pedro's grip loosened, freeing the near-fainting maid.
"Hii...! Cough! Cough!"
"Whew. You okay there? God, look at those marks on your neck. Gives me trauma just seeing it."
Pedro no longer cared about some maid.
The root of all his problems stood right in front of him, smirking slyly.
Shing—
Pedro strode toward him, drawing his sword from his waist.
"Now I get it. Even Lady Isabel fell for your cunning schemes."
"Whoa there! Put that down first and talk? You suck at basic conversation."
"Draw yours. Hiding your skills, pretending not to know swordsmanship to mock me—was that fun? Digging traps like a coward!"
"Me?"
Lian shrugged innocently, giving a wry smile.
That was when it happened.
Heavy footsteps hurriedly approached from the opposite corridor.
"What are you doing, Pedro! Put down that sword now!"
"Ruben..."
The new guard captain, Ruben, arrived with his guards.
As if he had foreseen this exact moment.
"Ha! So that's it! You're in on it too! That desperate for the captain spot, you coward?!"
"What? This guy's completely lost it..."
"Lost it? No! My eyes are finally open! I've spotted the disaster lurking in this mansion!"
Pedro pointed his sword tip at Lian.
Shing—shing—
At the same time, Ruben and the guards drew theirs in unison.
"Stop it, Pedro. Quit acting like you own the place."
"No! Kill that slave! He'll drag Lady Isabel to ruin! We'll all fall to his petty tricks!"
"Ridiculous. That's your story."
The guards rushed to subdue Pedro.
But Pedro was much closer to Lian.
"I'll take you with me instead! All for Lady Isabel!"
One chance—one exchange.
And his opponent hadn't even drawn yet.
But he overlooked something.
'Five paces away. I haven't drawn yet. So his first move...'
A bold thrust at the torso, no need to worry about counters.
As if dodging a phantom thrust at his solar plexus.
Lian lowered his body and sidestepped.
Pedro's thrust sliced empty air.
'Followed by a horizontal slash!'
A chilling scream echoed from neck height.
But before Pedro's sword could move, Lian was already acting.
And his hand reached for the hilt.
Slash—
"Gaaahhh!"
In a kneeling stance, Lian passed by and severed Pedro's Achilles tendon.
"Kuh!"
In that instant.
As Pedro lost balance and toppled, he saw Lian's nape.
Amid his agony, a triumphant smile curled his lips.
Showing his back to the enemy.
Fatal carelessness at the last moment.
Clang!
"...!?"
Thud!
But as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Lian didn't allow even Pedro's final desperate strike.
"In the end, I had to draw this right in front of you, huh?"
Lian smiled leisurely, the victor's grin, pointing his blade at the fallen Pedro.
As always.
His calculations were never wrong—perfectly precise.
"It was a short lesson, but I'll take my leave now, Master."
It was the perfect moment of clarity and insight.
These days, there wasn't a single quiet day in front of Isabel's mansion.
The reason?
"Let me in! I need to speak to Lady Isabel!"
"Get lost, Pedro. How many times is this now?"
This man showed up every day, causing a scene.
Pedro, who had been fired after throwing a fit during his disciplinary period.
And thanks to his severed Achilles tendon, he'd limp for life.
"Be grateful Lady Isabel's mercy spared you from the security commander."
"No, Ruben! Not me—the damned slave! It was all his trap!"
"Still spouting that nonsense?!"
Wham!
Kicked in the gut by Ruben, Pedro tumbled pathetically into the dirt.
"Don't show your face here again. Next time, I really will hand you over."
"No... that's not it..."
Pedro struggled to his feet, leaning on his cane.
Then limped away slowly into the distance, as if resigned.
His personality was crap, but his skills were nothing to scoff at.
"Tch. Lian, that guy. Such a waste to keep him stuck with old man Diego."
Ruben didn't pity Pedro's fate so much as regret Lian's swordsmanship that reduced him to that in one exchange.
"Captain, he'll come back tomorrow anyway. Why not just hand him over now?"
"We shared rice bowls once, hate him or not. If he really shows tomorrow, then."
But Pedro didn't come to the mansion the next day.
Nor the day after.
Three days later.
Pedro was found dead at dawn by the docks, tangled in anchor ropes.
The security commander's investigation concluded he had gotten drunk, stumbled while walking the docks, and drowned.
Of course, few believed that story outright.