Chapter 117: The Lord is With Us (38)
Chapter 117: The Lord is With Us (38)
That night, Delphine had a nightmare.
It was a jumbled mess of a dream. Memories of the day Elder Hanson was executed and the day she was defeated by Ian weighed down on her chest with a murky, suffocating pressure.
The image of herself, begging and pleading.
Her father’s blood-red eyes looking down at her, and the man’s golden eyes.
Elder Hanson collapsing as he coughed up blood, and her own body leaking gore and screams.
Suddenly, a sense of helplessness surged back to life.
The guilt of failing to save Elder Hanson just before his death pushed Delphine to the point of breathlessness. Fumbling, she reached for her sword.
I have to be punished.
They might face a Fiend tomorrow. Her participation was indispensable. Yet, what if she saw Ian’s hand axe again and collapsed into a mindless heap?
What if she failed again?
No, failure was not an option. She could not afford to lose, not ever again.
Delphine lightly grazed her arm with her own blade, just as Ian had done. Blood trickled down. Even so, her anxiety refused to fade.
She grew frantic.
So, Delphine threw on her coat and went to find Ian immediately. He was meditating in the forest clearing.
Normally, it was common courtesy not to disturb a swordsman while they were meditating. But in her desperation, Delphine had no room to consider such etiquette.
Had it not already been proven?
Defeat was miserable.
Elder Hanson had been taken from her, she had been forced to kneel and beg for her life, and she had even kissed the man’s instep when he told her that even death was a luxury.
She didn't want to lose.
And yet, she wanted to lose even more.
Delphine could not understand the nature of those contradictory emotions. She was already out of her mind. However, the thought did cross her mind that perhaps she was wishing for a more merciful victor.
Because Ian was a kind winner.
He was worth losing to. In fact, it was better this way. The defeat she suffered at Ian’s hands, the punishment he inflicted, gave her a sense of security.
The joy of being punished herself, rather than someone precious to her.
If she were punished again, she was confident she wouldn't tremble tomorrow. And so, she pleaded with Ian, who was looking at her with a bewildered expression.
"Give me... a punishment. Please."
Upon hearing those words, the man’s face instantly hardened. He watched Delphine intently for a moment, then let out a sigh and shook his head.
"Senior Delphine, what are you talking about—"
"Punish me!"
But Delphine was more desperate than Ian had imagined. She knelt, her eyes filled with a pathetic longing.
"N-No... P-Please punish me. Is that how I should say it? Hmm? You have to use me tomorrow... I'm useful! So, please, punish me..."
At Delphine’s plea, Ian’s brow furrowed with a serious look in his eyes. A hint of agony flashed across his face as he briefly averted his gaze.
Delphine was about to press her forehead against the ground. It was then that Ian stood up with a sigh.
And in the next moment.
Thud!
The man’s foot slammed into the prostrate Delphine’s solar plexus. The blow, delivered with significant force, made Delphine gasp for air.
Before she knew it, her body was rolling across the ground.
From the intense pain, Delphine instinctively curled into a ball, struggling to breathe. It was even more painful because she hadn't used mana to protect herself.
Seeing this, Ian rushed over and tapped Delphine’s cheek.
"...Senior Delphine, Senior Delphine! Are you finally coming to your senses? I tried a bit of shock therapy..."
"I-I'm... huff, I'm okay..."
With a slightly dazed look in her eyes, Delphine managed to squeeze out an answer.
As the suffocating pain subsided, her mind began to clear. It felt cool and refreshing. The pain throbbing in her solar plexus felt like a single drop of life-giving water found in a parched desert.
It felt good. A subtle sense of lethargy and relief relaxed her muscles, which had been stiff with tension.
It was several minutes later when Delphine finally regained her composure.
Once she had come to her senses, Delphine avoided his gaze, her face flushed deep red. Ian simply looked at her with a troubled expression.
It was just as Delphine let out a forced cough, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
The man spoke cautiously.
"...Why did you do that?"
"F-Forget about it."
Delphine spoke as if it were nothing, but she couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.
Ian’s emotions were laid bare in his stifled laugh. It was sheer absurdity. Delphine grew even more embarrassed and lowered her head.
Her face had long since turned beet red. She had rarely blushed in her entire life, but now it wouldn't have been strange if steam started rising from her forehead.
To plead with a junior for punishment—a feeling beyond mere shame was tickling Delphine’s heart.
Then, Ian threw another question at her.
"...Why are you so obsessed with winning and losing?"
For a moment, Delphine’s breath hitched.
Since answering would require her to confess the nightmare she had today, she couldn't say anything at all.
Delphine had grown too much to reveal the memories of that day. The successor of the Yurdina family could not show such weakness.
Though she felt she had already shown more than enough weakness, this was her final line of defense.
Delphine exercised her right to remain silent.
As if he had expected as much, the man let out a sigh and spoke.
"If you're that anxious, let's make a bet."
"...A bet?"
It was a sudden proposal. But since Delphine was the one who had come to him out of the blue, she waited for Ian’s offer without a word.
"Yes. Just follow my lead once. If you do, I'll make sure you win."
"...Guaranteed?"
"Guaranteed, immediately."
Delphine was silent for a moment. To be honest, she thought it was an unreasonable bet.
Even if she followed Ian’s words and won, it was no different from losing the bet. Either way, defeat was foretold.
However, she figured it was all the same whether he threatened her with a hand axe or gave her orders under the guise of a bet. Delphine kept her mouth shut as if contemplating for a while.
It was a bit later when Delphine finally spoke.
"...Fine. But how do I distinguish that command from other instructions? And what is the price of the bet?"
"When that time comes, I'll call you 'Delphine Yurdina' instead of 'Senior Delphine.' And if I win, you'll have to keep listening to me from now on."
That was it. As if he hadn't even considered the possibility of losing, the man only spoke of what would happen if he won and then fell silent.
That part was quite amusing. Delphine let out a hollow laugh as if it were ridiculous, but inwardly, she thought:
He's actually a bit reliable.
It was a different feeling from how she felt toward her subordinates or comrades. Delphine didn't yet know the true nature of that emotion. However, it was certain that at this moment, her perception of Ian had changed.
In a more positive direction.
While Delphine was reconsidering her opinion of Ian, he spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.
"Oh, by the way, you have a healing potion, right?"
Delphine turned a questioning gaze toward him. Ian smiled brightly and said:
"Give me one. The one I got last time seemed to be defective."
After a brief silence, Delphine began to speak as if lecturing an inexperienced junior. Her voice was laced with a sigh.
"Hand Axe Young Master, you might not know this, but there's no such thing as a defective healing potion—"
"You have plenty anyway."
Delphine fell silent. She looked at Ian with a stunned expression.
He was still smiling.
In the end, Delphine couldn't resist any further. She had to take out a healing potion and offer it up.
Even as he took Delphine’s portion of the healing potion, Ian grumbled.
Those wealthy enough to carry large quantities of healing potions usually stored them in containers enchanted with space expansion magic. Then, when needed, they would pour them into individual vials.
However, because Ian had left his vials in the forest last time, he had no spares, and he was forced to carry the potion in a small, makeshift bottle he had found.
Vials reinforced to prevent them from breaking during combat were surprisingly expensive. They were also inconvenient to carry in large numbers, so even those who carried many usually only had one or two.
Knowing this full well, Ian continued to get under Delphine’s skin.
"If I roll on the ground even once, this will probably break... This is bad, really bad."
Delphine, already angry about having her healing potion snatched away, trembled, but that was the extent of the protest she could show.
She thought about glaring at Ian, but the moment she met those golden eyes, she would immediately lose her nerve.
Every time that happened, Delphine felt it keenly. The fact that she could no longer defy or resist this man.
And so, she would likely never know for the rest of her life.
In truth, Ian’s attitude was a manifestation of his own way of being considerate toward her.
It was a shallow calculation that if they bickered a bit and he showed a slightly submissive side, Delphine might regain her former pride.
Of course, it was a plan that could never be realized. The very premise of Delphine defying Ian was an impossibility.
Nevertheless, that night, a single maxim was etched into Delphine’s heart without her even realizing it.
Being punished felt good. Especially by Ian.
It was an event that would become a major turning point in Delphine’s life.
* * *
The next day, leading the group, I stood at the entrance of the forest clearing.
Before us loomed a mysterious cavern.