Chapter 104: The Lord is With Us (25)
Chapter 104: The Lord is With Us (25)
Even a small child knows how to feel rage when someone insults their parents.
This stems from affection, but it is also rooted in the instinct to protect the object of one's devotion.
Whether it is a disciple hearing their master slandered, a subject hearing their monarch mocked, or even a commoner hearing a stranger insult their lord—it is common for one’s heart to be stirred with resentment.
It was partly because they lived in an era that demanded unconditional obedience from subordinates.
Unconditional obedience entails mental blind faith. In a world where such a mindset was the norm, it was inevitable for subordinates to be particularly sensitive to insults directed at their superiors.
Of course, a truly wicked superior would be cursed regardless, but even then, such talk usually stayed within the group.
An outsider’s criticism was never going to be well-received.
Thus, Elsie’s rage was justified.
At least, that was how she saw it. Ian was the one who had affirmed the fragile core of her being that no one else knew, the one who had thrown his life on the line to protect her.
He was also the person whose strength she had long admired. When Delphine continued to grate on her nerves—not just once, but repeatedly—Elsie had no choice but to explode.
Her mind turned cold. Her long experience in real combat caused her heart rate to drop the moment she perceived hostility.
Delphine still looked utterly stunned. It was rare for her to be this flustered. That was how unthinkable an insult it was to have water thrown in one's face.
She likely never imagined that anyone would dare offer such an affront to the successor of the Yurdina family.
The others felt the same.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, a few children had run off to call the adults. As a result, two men had already arrived at the scene where Elsie and Delphine stood.
Reto and Guildford froze in their tracks, paralyzed by the shocking sight that greeted them.
But spilled water cannot be gathered back into the cup. It was a situation where the phrase "the die is cast" felt literal.
Blue sparks of electricity crackled in Elsie’s hand. Sensing the killing intent, Delphine’s hand instinctively reached for her waist.
But the moment she moved to draw her sword with lightning speed, a thin whip of lightning lashed out, coiling around Delphine’s upper body.
It was a mere 1st Circle spell. It was impossible to chant anything higher in such a short window of time, even for a high mage of the 5th Circle.
Delphine scoffed, attempting to coat herself in mana to block the electrocution.
That is, until the whip of lightning suddenly dispersed, scattering current in every direction.
Time seemed to slow for Delphine. The charges, losing their cohesion, scattered rapidly in a spray of brilliant blue light.
And the points where that faint light struck were precisely on her upper body—the areas soaked by the water.
The blue current battered Delphine’s torso like a torrential rain.
Crackling sparks flared up like embers. Delphine grit her teeth, but the electricity, traveling through the water, soon surged through her entire body.
Her muscles contracted. It was an irresistible biological reaction. Delphine’s balance crumbled of its own accord.
That was when Elsie lunged.
In her hand was another water cup. She swung it with everything she had, a clean strike aimed straight for the crown of Delphine’s head.
A satisfying crash of shattering glass echoed through the air.
No matter how much they reinforced their bodies with mana, a mage was still a mage. It was difficult for one to land a physically effective blow on a swordsman of Delphine’s caliber.
However, delivering a finishing blow while the opponent was off-balance was a different story. Delphine, already reeling, slipped and collapsed.
With a heavy thud and the stinging impact, the sound of splashing water reached Delphine’s ears.
Water dripped down. It was only the volume of two cups—not much, but enough to soak the floor.
Elsie slammed her raised hand directly onto the ground.
A sphere of blue electricity exploded against the floor as if dropped. A sharp crackling sound filled the air, followed by the acrid scent of scorched stone.
"Ghh... h-hugh... uuuugh...!"
Delphine grit her teeth. This was a fighting style she had seen somewhere before.
The feeling of using every available resource to somehow take down an enemy through sheer improvisation.
It resembled Ian. Originally, Elsie had been a traditionalist who employed classical tactics, much like Delphine.
They say you grow to resemble the one you love, and it seemed the saying held true. Even as her muscles spasmed from the shock, Delphine never let go of her sword.
Instead, she poured her Aura into it.
Whoosh! A hot wind swept through the surroundings. The Aura, burning with a brilliant golden light, carried a terrifying heat.
The stone floor was heated in an instant. The moisture evaporated rapidly, and Delphine gradually regained control of her body.
Just as Elsie charged in with a short spear of lightning to finish the job—
Delphine managed to push herself up, forcing mana into her limbs to accelerate her body. She grabbed the arm Elsie was using to thrust the lightning spear and slammed her into the ground with a powerful pull.
A shockwave rippled out from the impact. Despite Elsie’s small frame, the force of the throw was immense. Delphine immediately flipped Elsie over and drove a fist into her face.
With the sound of flesh hitting flesh, Elsie’s head snapped to the side. The solid impact of the punch felt good. Elsie’s pointed hat had long since been rolling across the floor.
The sudden blow to the jaw left Elsie’s brain rattling. It had been a mistake to abandon her Shield magic in a clumsy attempt to imitate Ian.
Only then did Delphine growl low, her voice thick with hostility.
"You're taking a few more hits, Lainella."
Despite the threat, Elsie only let out a soft, airy laugh. Her defiant, blue sapphire eyes looked up at Delphine.
"...Get ready to apologize while crying, you bitch."
Delphine didn't hesitate to drive her fist toward Elsie’s small face.
She intended to calibrate her strength delicately enough to avoid breaking bones, but she planned to pummel Elsie’s face until it was a mess. Given the insult Delphine had endured, she doubted the Lainella family would dare make an issue of it.
But in the next moment—
Creeeak. The muscles in Delphine’s legs clamped tight against her bones. She had been electrocuted. But how?
Delphine’s eyes darted stupidly to the side. There, the water cups that had been knocked over by the shockwave were dripping their contents off the table.
The short spear of lightning that had been rolling on the ground caught Delphine’s blood-red gaze. The spear was pointed directly at the water flowing from the table.
It happened right after Delphine inwardly spat out a curse.
Another sharp crackle of electricity erupted. The sound of charges burning through the air had a monotonous, intense rhythm.
Delphine had no choice but to scream again as she collapsed sideways. This time, it was Elsie who climbed on top of her.
Blue electricity was already gathering in Elsie’s hand once more.
"What about Ian? The Hand Axe Murderer? You're the one who started acting like a piece of shit...! A-and he hasn't even killed anyone yet! Probably! So apologize already, you cunt!"
Just as the teeth-gritting Elsie was about to slam the condensed ball of electricity directly into Delphine—
Poke. Something pierced through the sphere of lightning.
The mana dispersed instantly—a phenomenon that occurred when encountering mana of much higher density. But was there anyone here capable of that?
Elsie’s eyes turned to the side in bewilderment. There stood an elderly man with snow-white hair, shaking his head.
The scabbard at his waist was empty. A faint white radiance flowed from the blade held in the old man's hand.
It was Aura. Come to think of it, hadn't they said he was a mercenary who had once made a name for himself?
As Elsie absentmindedly searched her memories, Guildford spoke in a calm voice.
"That is enough, both of you."
"But this bitch dared to call Ian—!"
"Would Young Master Ian be pleased to see this?"
At those words, Elsie’s agitated body stiffened. Intense hesitation began to flicker in her eyes.
It didn't take long. Elsie eventually let out a long sigh and stood up, swaying unsteadily.
She had taken a clean hit from a swordsman of Delphine’s level. It was impossible for Elsie to be unscathed.
After glancing around for a moment, Elsie spoke cautiously. Now that her excitement had cooled, her way of referring to him had shifted back from "Lord Ian" to just "Ian."
"U-um, keep this a secret from Ian..."
"...It's not over yet."
A weary voice drifted from the woman on the ground. Guildford and Elsie’s gazes snapped toward her. Delphine, teeth clenched, was pushing herself halfway up from the floor.
A burning competitive streak smoldered in her blood-red eyes.
"If we started this, we should see it through to the end, shouldn't we?"
Sigh. Elsie pressed a hand to her forehead in annoyance. Then, her temper flared again, and she shouted.
"I was going to let you off, but you really are a—!"
"...That's enough from both of you."
The next to intervene was Reto. Elsie and Delphine turned their sharp, irritated glares toward him as if they meant to pierce him.
But Reto merely maintained a nonchalant smile, raising both hands to show he had no intention of fighting.
"Setting aside the fact that you're scaring the children, Ian was just attacked by a mysterious demonic beast. We need to maintain our strength just in case. And besides, can you really handle the fallout?"
As confusion clouded Elsie and Delphine’s eyes, Reto added in a suggestive tone.
"...If you see this through to the end, it will escalate into a feud between your families."
That was the final blow.
After a long silence, Elsie and Delphine both clicked their tongues and withdrew their weapons simultaneously. It was unavoidable.
The friction between high-ranking nobles was more terrifying than one could imagine. Once a conflict was triggered, it was impossible to stop.
To an Imperial noble, pride was everything. They would spend ten thousand gold pieces just to protect their dignity.
Instead, in exchange for a temporary truce, Elsie and Delphine demanded the following from Guildford and Reto:
Keep today’s events a secret from Ian.
Having reached an agreement, Elsie and Delphine each downed a healing potion they had kept on hand and retreated to their quarters.
All that remained were the shattered water cups and the children shivering in the corner.
After hearing Reto’s lengthy eyewitness account, I had only one reaction.
"...You said you agreed to keep it a secret. Is it really okay to tell me?"
"What, was I supposed to just leave it? A temporary truce is just a ticking time bomb... A technician needs to remove the detonator before it goes off."
With that, Reto gave my shoulder a trusting pat. I let out a hollow laugh.
"And I'm that technician?"
"Yeah. You're the one who gathered these women, so you deal with them. Mr. Guildford and I are washing our hands of this."
Technically, he was right. Reto and Mr. Guildford had nothing to do with the team I had assembled. Since both Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie were part of my group, it was only right that I, as the leader, mediate the conflict.
I just didn't know how.
As I clutched my forehead and groaned, Reto offered his usual advice.
"Think simply, simply. Your Swordsmanship Department brain won't be able to solve it if you try to make it too complex."
I couldn't tell if that was advice or an insult. On second thought, it was probably both.
Regardless, I decided to take the advice.
My footsteps led me toward Senior Delphine’s room.
*
Knock, knock. I tapped on the door, but no answer came from within.
There weren't many private rooms in the orphanage.
Aside from the director's office, there were only a few rooms for volunteers. Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie had been given private rooms in consideration of their high noble status.
The Saintess, of course, had a private room as well. Other than those, there were no private quarters; Mr. Guildford had even offered to vacate the director's office to provide lodging for me or Yuren.
I had no particular desire for a private room, so I declined, and Yuren did the same. But looking at it now, having a private room seemed like it might be useful.
It was good for having secret conversations. I cleared my throat and spoke.
"I'm coming in."
"...What do you want?"
A wary voice immediately shot back. It was definitely Senior Delphine.
Confirming this, I opened the door and stepped inside without hesitation. Perhaps she hadn't expected me to actually enter, as Delphine, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looked startled.
"Y-y-you enter a lady's room without permission? Hand Axe Young Master, it seems you need to relearn noble etiquette..."
"I don't think the person who once greeted me half-naked has much room to talk."
Senior Delphine’s mouth snapped shut. She could have argued, but she seemed to sense that my mood was serious.
She fidgeted and avoided my gaze. Her blood-red eyes began to tremble.
"Senior Delphine, let's go for a walk, just the two of us."
"...N-no."
The woman’s voice following my nonchalant tone was shaking piteously. Nevertheless, I continued in a flat voice.
"I heard the air in the forest is nice lately. Especially the night air—it's supposed to be very cool."
"I-I said no..."
"If we go alone, no one will know. So, let's have a little private chat..."
"...I said no!"
Senior Delphine shouted, almost convulsing. Her expression was beyond mere distaste. Her face was beaded with sweat, reflecting a pure, unadulterated terror of going with me.
At this rate, I was just wasting time. I had no choice but to click my tongue and draw my hand axe.
Senior Delphine’s breathing stopped. Her eyes stared blankly at my hand axe.
Without hesitation, I raised the axe high.
"Kyaaa! Aaaah! I-I'll go! I'll go! S-so... please! S-stop...!"
I should have done that from the start. Only then, with a satisfied look, did I slam the raised hand axe into the floor.
Thwack! The axe embedded itself in the stone floor, leaving a deep gash.
Haa... haa... Senior Delphine was breathing heavily, unable to hide her fear and tension. Her terror-stricken blood-red eyes stared at the hand axe stuck in the floor.
Come to think of it, I’ll have to repair the floor now.
It couldn't be helped. I’d leave that problem to the wealthy Senior Delphine later or something. I gave her a bright smile.
"Good choice."
Senior Delphine’s curled-up body trembled. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
It seemed it was time for a long-overdue private conversation with Senior Delphine.