Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Retribution
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Gray Chasefield was someone whose moods swung in very distinct highs and lows.
Which was why the situation she was facing right now felt utterly unfamiliar to her.
It was that feeling of not knowing whether she should be feeling good or bad.
“Hmph.”
She snorted and watched as Carlyle beat down yet another student.
It was a scene that had been repeating for a while now.
Through the eyes of a Hero, she could clearly see that what Carlyle was doing wasn’t just indiscriminate violence.
She could sense with her own faculties that something was ‘draining’ out of every single person he’d beaten.
‘It’s ominous.’
And she could plainly see what kind of evil it carried.
The holy sword she always carried reacted to it more fiercely than anything.
‘...So, what.’
Whatever it was, she could just ask Carlyle later. As long as it wasn’t pointless nonsense, that was fine.
She was tagging along with Elena precisely to track down every last one of those people.
As long as he wasn’t doing anything to harm her personally and had some actual business dragging that guy around, she had no reason to hold any grudge.
“You must have some interest in him yourself, huh? Otherwise, why preemptively mark your territory like this?”
“...As if.”
Right.
That’s how it should be.
“...”
But somehow.
It irritated her.
Up until a moment ago, she could brush it off as whatever and accept it, but hearing Carlyle say that made her mood sour instantly.
She herself had no intention of getting into that kind of relationship with him, but hearing him state it so bluntly only made her angrier.
‘What am I even doing.’
Once that thought crossed her mind, she started feeling like a fool.
It wasn’t her business what he did or where he went.
...He wasn’t doing any of it out of particular concern for her, either.
Thinking like that for no reason only made her even more annoyed.
Even watching Carlyle tussle with someone else now elicited no reaction from her whatsoever.
She glanced indifferently at the opponent standing across from Carlyle.
‘Who was this again...’
Grimwald Count Family—she vaguely recalled the name.
Eh, nothing special.
They weren’t particularly memorable or impressive, but she did remember barely suppressing the urge to snap their necks after they threw all sorts of advances her way.
The guy picking a fight with Carlyle right now was probably cut from the same cloth.
“How dare a lowly scum like you stick by the Hero’s side? Huh?”
Those were the taunts from the blond, pretty-boy man.
She could see Carlyle’s eyebrow twitch at the words.
“...Why bring up the Lady’s name?”
“Just know your place.”
The man continued with a sleazy smile.
“I don’t know why you came looking for me, but you know plenty of people have their eyes on you, right?”
A menacing aura spread with his words.
He must have been pretty pissed that Carlyle had blocked him from approaching Gray at the banquet hall.
She overheard him whining about wanting to give Carlyle a piece of his mind or whatever, but her bored expression shut that down.
Who was it again, this guy.
Leon Grimwald. Of the Grimwald Count Family...
‘What number was he?’
...She couldn’t remember.
Anyway, he was pretty far down the succession line.
So, whatever.
‘He’ll handle it.’
She yawned and turned away.
The guy had taken down a spirit knight in one hit from the start. No way he couldn’t deal with a punk like this.
And then, the next moment.
Thwack—!
The sound of Carlyle taking a hit echoed out.
It was clearly from allowing an attack from someone he could’ve crushed with one punch.
“...”
Gray’s steps halted abruptly.
Then.
The sound of Carlyle getting hit rang out a second time, then a third.
Gray whipped her head around.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
That was her first thought.
Carlyle was just standing there, taking the hits.
He’d beaten down everyone else so handily before, but now he didn’t even seem to have the will to fight.
Even Elena, who had led him here, stared at him blankly, clearly having no idea what he was doing.
“...”
Before any particular emotion could surge up, the first thing that hit her was that something was off.
“Is that sword you’re carrying just for show?”
Such mocking words slithered toward Carlyle.
“Felt good cozying up to the Hero and getting her protection, huh? Not knowing your place.”
“...”
“You monopolized her, blocking her from mingling with others—that’s why you strutted around so stiff-necked at the banquet, right?”
“...”
“What, so you came to pick a fight with me? Worried the Hero might take an interest in someone else and ignore trash like you, so you’re preemptively making a pathetic show of it?”
...That never happened.
Carlyle had only ever helped her, never done anything to deserve those words.
If anything, he’d tried to shield her from the cardinal’s remarks.
But even hearing all that, Carlyle offered no rebuttal.
He just kept taking the hits.
Kept on.
Until bruises bloomed all over his body and blood trickled from his face.
Why was he doing this.
Why wasn’t he fighting back.
“—You fucking retard. Not gonna fight back? You even a man?”
Even Leon, the one doing the hitting, spat out a line laced with contempt.
Gray clenched her fist tight.
What the hell was this Leon guy saying to make Carlyle take a beating like that?
The only difference between this guy and all the others Carlyle had beaten was that Leon was a noble.
‘...So what?’
Noble or not, what did it matter. The one Carlyle served wasn’t anyone else—it was the Hero herself.
The Hero of the Chasefield Ducal House. No backing could compare.
“I am the Lady’s attendant.”
But.
“I can’t cause trouble for the Lady.”
The moment she heard that.
“—!”
A shock slammed down on Gray from the crown of her head.
‘Ah, I see.’
Noble or whatever, her stance was always: if she didn’t like them, just crush ’em.
But that guy was her attendant, the one who followed her will.
Unless she explicitly permitted it, fighting back—even in self-defense—would stir up rumors.
No matter the circumstances, an attendant brawling without orders was inherently ‘unseemly.’ It would tarnish the reputation of the Lady who kept such an attendant.
There was only one logical conclusion.
Carlyle was taking a beating from someone he could pulverize with one punch.
Even as he endured utterly baseless accusations.
...All because he didn’t want to trouble her.
Not giving even the slightest pretext for harm to come her way.
Even in that state.
“...”
A whirlwind of thoughts exploded in her mind in an instant.
“What an idiot.”
No one would care if he smashed a punk like that.
But seeing him reduced to that just to avoid any ‘possible’ fallout...
- So, how about this one promise.
- No matter what, I intend to put the Hero first.
She recalled those words from before.
Gray closed her eyes.
What a ridiculous guy.
When she opened them again, her gaze burned with firm resolve.
‘Well.’
...He was that loyal of an attendant.
She ought to return the favor, at least.
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[Doesn’t it hurt, my wielder?]
‘Compared to getting hit by you, this is like being brushed with cotton.’
[...]
Carlyle, who had instantly silenced the holy sword, inwardly chuckled and braced for another punch.
What to say.
This guy seemed to be hitting in earnest, but compared to Gray’s punches—which made his very soul resonate even from a graze—it was nothing.
There had been something moving about the Hero’s beastly bare-fisted blows, but this fool wasn’t even swinging properly...
“Let’s see how much you can take, you worm—!”
And then, the next moment.
Leon’s body, who had been smugly mouthing off, bent in a metaphysically impossible shape.
Probably because Gray had flown in like a bolt of lightning and slammed a vicious kick into his gut.
An unholy sound erupted from the clash of bodies, and Leon’s form went flying in almost cartoonish fashion.
Up into the sky like a shooting star, soaring to heights no human should reach.
It took a while before the thud of him crashing into the ground echoed out.
“...”
“...”
Silence blanketed the area.
Everyone was speechless at the Hero’s sudden appearance.
Carlyle glanced over at Leon, embedded far away.
He’s not dead, right?
‘Ah, it’s out.’
As the devil worshipper’s mark seeped from his mouth, Leon twitched.
Looks like he’s alive.
Carlyle thought that inwardly and opened his mouth.
“...Lady?”
He blinked as if utterly clueless, speaking in a daze.
[Wielder.]
‘Yes.’
[Your acting’s improving.]
...Well, just one of the miscellaneous skills honed over countless regressions.
Gray turned to Carlyle with a deep sigh.
“You.”
She strode toward him, eyes blazing.
“Don’t go getting beat up again.”
“...Pardon?”
“Don’t pull stupid stunts worrying about troubling me. If someone hits you, hit ’em back. Got it?”
“...”
“Or I’ll get even madder.”
What to say.
Her tone was as rough as could be.
...But right now, it was unmistakably concern for him.
‘Mood better now?’
[Definitely.]
He snickered, exchanging words with the holy sword.
Well, if it cleared the air, that was good.
“Lady, Lady! Any more and he’ll die—!”
Carlyle panicked as he saw Gray heading toward the twitching Leon on the ground.
She looked ready to land a finishing blow.
No, he’d anticipated this, but if the guy actually died, it’d be a mess.
“I know.”
Gray said calmly.
“Not killing him. Just gonna beat him a bit more.”
“...Pardon?”
“Payback for every hit he landed on you.”
“—But if there’s any lasting damage, the Grimwald Count Family will come after us?”
“Then next it’s them.”
“...”
“Just try me.”
Look at that presence.
He might actually fall for her.
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[System Message]
▶ Trait ‘Hero’s Companion’ activates.
▶ Part of the ‘Reformation List’ is updated!
[ ★ Human Hatred 95% → 80% ]
[ ★ Jealousy 10% → 0% ]
[ ★ Trust 70% → 90% ]
▶ Reward granted!
▶ Check the Trait tab!
▶ You kept the vigilance trait ‘Jealousy’ low.
▶ Trait changes to ‘Possessiveness’!
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