I Was Not the Least Bit Embarrassed
“An elixir?”
At Bella’s words, I blinked.
The elixir I knew was the sort of miracle item the protagonist would only lay hands on after falling off a cliff, surviving by some miracle, and stumbling across a precious encounter by sheer luck.
A cheat item that let you draw out aura the moment you swallowed it.
And Bella had casually handed something like that to me.
“Yes. It’s a bit of a half-baked thing compared to a true elixir, but it is definitely an elixir.”
“Why would you give me something this valuable?”
Bella was a good person.
Still, she wasn’t so much of a pushover that she’d hand over something as precious as an elixir to a guy she’d only just met.
What exactly about me was she trusting, to give me something this valuable?
I couldn’t make sense of it.
“I believe I already told you. Because you’re the only one who can make young lady smile.”
“Bella can do that too, though...”
“No. I can’t. I know myself better than anyone. I... cannot make young lady smile.”
“...”
“So I’m placing my expectations in you. You may think of it as an investment, if you like.”
Bella was unwavering.
No matter what I said, she didn’t seem to have any intention of taking the elixir back.
At that point, there was only one thing I could do.
“You said investment, right? Fine. I’ll take you up on that investment.”
Pop.
I uncapped the elixir.
Then I tossed it back in one gulp.
“Gah... this is bitter.”
“...!”
“Why are you looking so shocked? You said it was an investment. No taking it back now.”
“I... won’t.”
Bella’s expression was something to see.
She looked like someone who’d walked into a gambling den and put everything on the table.
Her restless, fidgeting look made it painfully clear she didn’t trust me at all.
I understood.
If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t have thought to feed an elixir to a blind butler either.
But Bella had done it.
Then repaying that expectation was the least I could do.
“Don’t worry. I’ll return your investment with interest.”
“I certainly hope so.”
That was when it happened.
Ding!
[You have consumed a low-grade elixir.]
[You may choose a skill to increase in proficiency.]
[Please select a skill to raise in proficiency.]
[Evasion (A)], [Tea Party (D)], [Cooking (E)], [Basic Swordsmanship (C)]
“Oh!”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. The elixir’s effect is just amazing. My heart’s already pounding.”
“I see. Then you should visit Knight Derick and have him help you settle the energy churning inside you.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
In truth, nothing was churning inside me at all, but I couldn’t exactly explain the status window to Bella, so I let it slide.
Still, I could increase skill proficiency?
What should I choose?
First of all, I ruled out Tea Party and Cooking.
What I needed right now was a skill that would help me in combat.
That left only Evasion and Basic Swordsmanship.
I had to choose one of them.
And I didn’t have to think about it for long.
It has to be Evasion.
Even if I raised the proficiency of Basic Swordsmanship, I had no confidence I could match the swordsmanship of a knight like Hate.
It would be better to raise Evasion and create variables. That would give me a higher chance of winning.
[The proficiency of your Evasion skill has increased.]
[Evasion (A) → Evasion (A+)]
Huh?
Unlike what I’d expected, assuming it would jump straight to S rank, Evasion had risen only to A+.
Apparently S rank wasn’t something you could reach so easily.
What happens when it becomes S rank?
Even at A rank, I’d already dodged every attack from Derick, who was a knight.
I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if it reached S rank.
I’m kind of looking forward to it.
It was different from what I’d expected, but not bad.
It meant Evasion still had room to grow.
And just as I was about to head to the training grounds where Derick would be waiting—
[As a result of the low-grade elixir, the growth rate of all skill proficiency has increased by 300% for three days.]
I hit the jackpot.
***
“So you went and caused a scene.”
When I arrived at the training grounds, Derick was already waiting for me, having heard the news.
As though he’d known I would come.
“You were waiting for me?”
“Not at all.”
“You look like you were waiting for me.”
“I simply came here as I always do for training. You just happened to arrive.”
“Let’s call it that.”
Derick let out a sigh before continuing.
“What were you thinking, doing something like that?”
There it was again.
I had no idea how many times I’d heard that question, but my answer was always the same.
“That bitch... no, the princess insulted young lady. So I just gave it back to her.”
“Hoo...”
Derick’s sigh grew deeper.
“Because of your choice, young lady’s dignity has been dragged through the mud. And you’ve placed yourself in mortal danger.”
“I don’t regret it. Even if I went back, I’d do the same thing.”
“...Even if it led to your death?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an unbelievable fool.”
As he said that, Derick gave a short snort of laughter and tossed me a wooden sword.
I caught it easily.
“You said you were dueling Hate.”
“That’s right. You said he was a disciple of one of the Three Swords. Do you know anything about him?”
“I know him well. I’ve fought him before myself. Though of course it was a spar, not a duel like yours.”
“Who won?”
“I lost.”
Knights were the sort who lived by honor and died by honor.
Even knowing that defeat stained that honor, Derick didn’t hesitate for a moment to lay bare his own failure.
And what that meant was simple.
“It was a complete defeat, beyond any possible argument.”
Derick acknowledged Hate’s strength.
“Hate is the disciple of the Thunder Sword. He uses a lightning-fast style of quick swordplay. It’s nearly impossible to track his blade with your eyes.”
Derick’s sword moved swiftly.
Instinctively, I blocked it.
Clack!
It’s faster than usual.
If I’d been a second slower, I wouldn’t have blocked it.
“Good. But Hate’s blade is twice that fast—no, three times.”
Derick’s wooden sword grew faster and faster.
Before long, I stopped trying to block his attacks and focused entirely on dodging them.
In the end, the sparring match only ended when I exhausted myself and collapsed first.
“Hah... hah...”
I could barely catch my breath.
As I panted desperately, Derick spoke.
“My sword is slow compared to Hate’s. The fact that you evaded all my attacks is impressive, but you’ll never beat Hate that way.”
I knew that.
So what if my Evasion skill had reached A+ rank?
I couldn’t even touch a single fingertip of Derick’s.
At this rate, defeating Hate was close to impossible.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“First, you need to accept that there is a gap between you and Hate that cannot be bridged. No matter what trick you use, you can’t erase that.”
Only after decades of swinging a sword could one reach the place where a knight stood.
To think I could beat such a knight was already a ridiculous greed.
But I had to do it.
At this point, I couldn’t back down, and I had no intention of backing down.
“So there’s no way, then?”
“No.”
Derick shook his head.
“It’s impossible head-on, but that doesn’t mean there’s no method at all.”
“What do I do?”
“You gamble.”
“Gamble?”
“Hate has a habit of testing his opponents. That’s why he doesn’t fight at full strength during the first three exchanges. You throw everything into the opening and bet it all on the outcome.”
A gamble you had to place within the brief instant when your opponent wasn’t fighting seriously.
That was the only way I could beat Hate.
“That’s not easy.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“But I still have to do it.”
“...Yes.”
A short silence fell between us.
In that gap, I asked the question that had been nagging at me.
“Derick... no, Knight Derick. Why are you so kind to me? I’m just a slave.”
“...”
I hadn’t been at the villa for long, but Derick had been kind to me from the very beginning.
Even knowing I was a slave, he’d treated me well.
By my common sense, I couldn’t understand it.
Derick said nothing, just looked at me.
Then, slowly, he opened his mouth.
“Because I am ashamed.”
“Ashamed? Of what?”
“I was ashamed of myself for feeling revulsion when I looked at young lady. So ashamed, in fact, that I was embarrassed even to call myself a knight.”
“...”
Derick continued, his face full of humiliation.
“Then I met you. You, who could look at young lady without flinching. You, who could even hurl insults at the princess for young lady’s sake.”
“...”
“I felt shame when I looked at you. I felt utterly pathetic for being someone who loathed the master I served, all because of a mere curse, and yet couldn’t even protect her properly.”
Derick looked at me.
As if he envied me.
“So I projected myself onto you. I envied you for being able to do what I couldn’t, and I was satisfied every time you made young lady smile.”
Derick asked me, as if he’d given up on everything.
“Do you think I’m shameful too?”
Was he shameful?
No.
Not at all.
“No. I think you’re admirable.”
“What...?”
“Whatever else changed, your feelings for young lady never did, right? Even while suffering because of the curse, you stayed by her side to the very end.”
“...”
“Don’t be ashamed. Derick, you’re a perfectly admirable knight.”
After a moment of silence, Derick let out a low laugh.
“Hah... I was the fool, wasn’t I?”
It was a laugh that seemed to loosen a knot he’d been carrying in his chest for a very long time.
***
Training ended, and night fell.
After that candid conversation with Derick, I’d trained until I was practically on the verge of death, so I felt like hell.
Still, it wasn’t like I’d gained nothing from it.
[The proficiency of your Basic Swordsmanship skill has increased.]
[Basic Swordsmanship (C) → Basic Swordsmanship (B)]
The proficiency of Basic Swordsmanship had gone up.
From C rank onward, the growth speed was supposed to be slow, but since it had already reached B rank, it seemed like I might be able to drop the “basic” label before the duel with Hate.
“I’m tired. I should go in and sleep.”
My body felt as heavy as lead.
My whole body ached from training, and my eyelids felt like they’d close any second.
As I staggered toward my room—
“...”
Someone was standing in front of my door.
At the same time, a familiar floral scent brushed the tip of my nose.
I didn’t even need to check who it was.
“Young lady?”