Chapter 107: The Lord is With Us (28)
Chapter 107: The Lord is With Us (28)
Delphine Yurdina was afraid of Ian Percus.
He was the man who had handed her her first defeat. He was the source of her first true humiliation.
In the days that followed, Delphine would often sit in a daze, doing nothing but replaying the memories of that day.
Her opponent had been an injured man who couldn't use one arm, exhausted from slaying demonic beasts, and her squad had successfully pulled off an ambush. It was a set of conditions where the possibility of 'defeat' shouldn't have even crossed her mind.
And yet, she had lost.
It wasn't that her strategy was flawed. Though a bit unsightly, it was a plan that eliminated as many unfavorable variables as possible. In fact, Delphine had been on the verge of victory.
There was only one variable she had failed to account for.
She had vastly underestimated the skill of that man, Ian Percus.
Delphine had faced Ian once before. She had been surprised by his decisiveness and judgment, and she had kept in mind that he was the type of person who would shine even brighter in actual combat.
However, Ian’s performance on the day of the Hunting Festival proved that even that assessment was woefully inadequate.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Fermin was neutralized after having his nose torn. Olmar fell to a secret martial art of the Holy Kingdom, and then even Aisia was rendered combat-ineffective by a secret technique of the Sword Circle.
Through it all, Delphine could only stand there, rooted to the spot. To her, who had expected Ian to collapse at any moment, every single one of those scenes struck her like a physical blow.
It wasn't just that he was 'strong in real combat.' He was a completely different person.
She was already aware of his terrifying competitive streak and his unhesitating use of violence. But the secret martial arts of the Holy Kingdom and the secret techniques of the Sword Circle were variables that even Delphine could not have predicted.
They were techniques that were never passed down to outsiders. If so, then how?
Before she could even find an answer to that question, she had to face the man's challenge.
At first, it seemed as though Delphine held the upper hand. No matter how strong Ian was in practice, the gap in their raw skill was clear. Furthermore, Ian was forced to fight with only one arm.
Delphine was soon able to regain her composure. It was unexpected, but not a variable she couldn't handle.
Or so she thought, until that very moment.
Space distorted, she was ambushed by Seria, and then the man with a dagger clenched in his teeth fell upon her.
Looking at the blade pressed against her Adam's apple, Delphine couldn't utter a word. Because even that dagger was the very one she had handed to him.
It was a total defeat.
It was her first loss, but there was no room for excuses. It was Delphine’s mistake, and Delphine’s inadequacy.
So, she had intended to accept the result gracefully and withdraw.
If only that axe blade hadn't buried itself in her shoulder.
Crunch. The sound of cartilage shattering echoed through Delphine’s mind. Then came a scream—it had been a long time since she had let out such a feminine cry.
She couldn't pull herself together through the sudden agony. No, if it were just pain, she could have endured it.
What terrified her was the fact that Delphine could not resist, no matter what Ian did to her.
And her opponent wasn't showing even a shred of mercy. He was in a state where it wouldn't have been strange if he had literally killed her. Between the pain and the terror following the shock of her first defeat, Delphine was out of her mind.
So, she begged for forgiveness.
Delphine lived with the shame of having to beg for her life for days afterward.
That emotion was like a spark. Once the fire was lit, it burned out of control, driving her mad.
For a proud noble lady, the humiliation of that day was of a kind she simply could not bear. Not only did she lose, but she begged for her life? While screaming like a weak little girl?
She would rather have died. No matter how much water she drank, no matter how much alcohol she consumed, the fire in her chest would not go out.
After replaying that nightmare over and over, unable to even catch a wink of sleep, Delphine Yurdina finally reached a single conclusion.
Fine. She just had to fight him again.
Doing so wouldn't erase the history of her begging for her life. But at the very least, she could overwrite it. That was all Delphine wanted.
Before she went completely insane, she needed a memory of victory to cover the wound of defeat.
And if not even that, then she would rather have death.
Delphine was desperate. She hadn't been in her right mind when she wrote the letter to Ian. To go so far as to bring up her family to threaten a junior—there was a limit to how pathetic one could be.
But Delphine, driven into a corner, had lost even the bare minimum of self-restraint. She stood before Ian, prepared even for death.
And she lost.
It was a miserable defeat. Her sword didn't even graze him, and her Golden Silk Sword, the pride of the Yurdina family, was shattered by Ian’s own Golden Silk Sword.
It was the moment her pride as the successor of the Yurdina family and her ego as a swordsman were smashed to pieces.
As if it were only natural, raw violence followed. Screams erupted along with the spray of blood. She was at the point where she wanted to plead for him to just kill her quickly.
Even so, Delphine endured. She vowed never to repeat such a disgrace. But the words that flowed from Ian’s mouth were beyond anything she had imagined.
“…Death is quite a luxurious end, you know.”
At those words, which she had never even considered, Delphine’s eyes went blank.
“Yurdina, you know, don't you? That wounds caused by mana are difficult to treat even with divine power. Of course, there are high-ranking priests at the Academy, so most things should be fine, but…”
Then, a silver glow gathered on the blade.
“…What would happen if I pierced your arm with this aura? And your leg?”
“W-what are you trying to do?”
Even hearing Delphine’s voice, drenched in terror, there wasn't a single ripple in the man's golden eyes.
They were emotionless and cold. It was the moment Delphine’s spirit truly broke.
She didn't remember much after that. When she came to, she was on her knees, slamming her forehead against the ground.
Though she had sworn she would never do it again, Delphine had ultimately succumbed.
The memory of that day became black mud, seeping into Delphine’s head and heart.
All her pride was destroyed. She no longer even felt the desire to resist. Ian had taken his hand axe and mercilessly shattered the person known as 'Delphine Yurdina' who had existed until then.
She was scared. She was afraid to meet his eyes, and if he suggested something with a firm tone, she couldn't refuse.
Even up to the moment she was drafted for a trivial request that wasn't even helpful and headed into the forest with him alone, Delphine was trembling with fear.
She’d been caught. Cold sweat poured down her back. There was no other explanation than that he had found out about her fight with Elsie.
Elsie—had that girl run straight to him to tattle? No, that wasn't it. Elsie hadn't wanted anyone to find out about their quarrel.
In truth, analyzing the cause was already too late.
Alone, in the forest.
Those two conditions were enough to summon the nightmare etched into Delphine’s mind.
She might be turned into minced meat. He might make it so she could never hold a sword again—no, even that was an optimistic outlook. Even Delphine didn't know what that monster, devoid of humanity, might do.
He might throw her alive to the demonic beasts as fodder. Or he might make her tear off her own flesh. Or perhaps he would sever her limbs to ensure she could never rise again.
It was while Delphine was shivering amidst all sorts of ominous delusions.
“…It’s true. I mean, did you think I was going to ask you to fight with a hand axe or something? It’s not like I’m some ‘Hand Axe Murderer.’”
Hearing those words, she was certain.
He really did find out.
‘Hand Axe Murderer’ was the term she had used to insult Ian when talking to Elsie. Elsie had even told her to apologize for using that term before.
Delphine’s fear reached its peak. The moment Ian made even the slightest movement, Delphine reflexively threw herself onto the ground, begging for her life.
But Ian only reacted with bewilderment.
When there was no further response from Ian, Delphine had to hesitantly pick herself up.
It was incredibly humiliating.
She felt like a trained pet dog. Ian was the master, and Delphine was the puppy who had to constantly watch his every move.
But Delphine’s fall had only just begun.
The moment she saw the hand axe smashing the skull of a demonic beast, Delphine’s mind went white.
Countless images tangled together in a mess. Most of them were memories of the man's golden eyes looking down at her amidst a spray of blood.
Before she knew it, Delphine was curled up, trembling violently. She had no memory of that moment. However, when she regained her senses, she felt a profound sense of self-loathing.
It was a despair that transcended shame.
It was over. The despair that she had met her end both as a swordsman and as a human being seeped stickily through the vessels of her brain.
This was what happened whenever Ian just took out his axe. She could never rebel against that man for the rest of her life. Even just being near him, Delphine was utterly useless.
So, she thought.
Dazedly, Delphine’s blood-red eyes caught sight of Ian’s back. His body, bathed in the pouring moonlight, was covered in blood. His uniform was already soaked through with blood from the laceration on his back.
His arm also appeared to be injured. And above all, he was currently showing her his back.
Should she launch a surprise attack?
This might be her last chance. While Delphine had her wits about her and Ian hadn't drawn his weapon.
The only possibility for the leashed dog to find freedom was right before her eyes.
Her pounding heart thundered in her head. Her hand gripping her sword tightened instinctively. Just as Delphine was hesitating for a long moment.
“…What will you do?”
The man asked, glancing back slightly.
His blood-soaked hair and vivid golden eyes struck Delphine’s vision. It was exactly how he had looked when he had minced her limbs with his hand axe.
He knew.
Only then did Delphine regain her senses along with a sense of total exhaustion. She was so frustrated and it was so absurd.
He was a comrade who had fought the demonic beasts in her stead while she was incapacitated. Judging by the corpses scattered around her, he must have protected her as well. And yet, she had thought of targeting his back while he was injured.
The fact that she had even come up with such an idea was hideous, and beyond that, it was despairing.
Even this situation, which she had considered her last chance, had been within Ian’s grasp.
The rebellious spirit that had been rearing its head once more was shattered instantly.
It was a form of surrender.
Delphine Yurdina could not defeat Ian Percus—not for the rest of her life.
That fact was carved so deeply into her chest that it hurt. Delphine bit her lip and swallowed her tears.
“…I’m going back.”
“A wise decision.”
As expected. It was a ritualistic remark praising Yurdina’s judgment for not attacking.
If she had attacked, Delphine would have been the one to suffer. And she would have been subjected to unimaginable torture. Delphine’s shoulders trembled slightly at the thought of such a possibility.
He was a terrifying man. Not only was his martial prowess great, but his psychological depth was also extraordinary.
Ian had brought her to this forest today to test her.
Delphine felt a sincere sense of relief. She hated herself for being happy about the mere fact that she hadn't rebelled against Ian again, but there was nothing she could do.
Delphine was already broken. It was better to at least ensure her safety.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Ian’s hand was placed on Delphine’s shoulder.
With a dazed look, Delphine stared at Ian’s face. He was wearing a warm smile.
Which made it all the more terrifying.
“…Then, shall we receive some punishment before we head back?”
Because the words he uttered next didn't match that expression at all.
Several memories flashed through Delphine’s mind.
Delphine had insulted Ian by calling him a ‘Hand Axe Murderer.’ And although she hadn't acted on it, she had even harbored the insolent thought of daring to rebel against him.
Naturally, she had to be punished. At that incredibly clear conclusion, Delphine’s eyes were dyed with despair.
Because a dog that bites its master needs to be disciplined.
Delphine was already naturally accepting that relationship. And as a result.
Her knees hit the ground of their own accord.
It was already her third declaration of defeat.