Chapter 47: The First Letter (47)
Chapter 47: The First Letter (47)
The axe blade traced a silver line through the air before burying itself into the object. A heavy thud echoed through my hand as the blade bit into the solid texture.
Even then, Senior Delphine didn't move an inch.
She didn't need to.
My hand axe hadn't struck her; it had smashed the wine glass she had offered.
With a sharp shatter, glass fragments exploded into the air, scattering like falling snow. The sweet scent of wine brushed against the tip of my nose.
The wine cascaded down like blood. The purple liquid drenched the table, quickly overflowing across the surface.
Our eyes met in the space between us. Senior Delphine didn't look surprised or flustered. She simply let out a soft, airy chuckle.
Her blood-red eyes remained perfectly composed. I found that fact deeply irritating.
"Senior Delphine."
"Yes, go on."
Her nonchalant attitude brought a flicker of annoyance to my eyes. I narrowed my brows and spoke with a voice that simmered with suppressed heat.
"…Stop testing me."
"Was I that obvious?"
Once again, a wine glass tilted. Backed by the moonlight, the woman—radiant as the sun—sipped her wine with a captivating grace.
A playful smirk played on her lips. Though her gaze held blatant favor, it didn't feel pleasant.
It was the gaze of the strong. The look of someone who had found an interesting toy, looking down at an opponent who posed absolutely no threat.
A fiercer intensity flared in my eyes as my temper flared. Seeing that, Senior Delphine laughed again, as if even my anger was adorable.
The hand gripping the axe trembled. But I had to endure. My opponent was the successor of the Yurdina Family, the most prestigious of the prestigious—and more importantly, she was a woman currently half-naked.
Being invited into a noble's private space implied total trust. I couldn't betray that trust. Moreover, what did an Imperial noble value more than honor?
No matter how much she provoked me, I couldn't fall for it. That would be a checkmate. And above all, there was that gaze of hers, which didn't waver in the slightest.
It meant she had already accounted for the possibility of me lunging at her. It also meant she was entirely confident in her ability to suppress me.
If I couldn't even utilize the advantage of a surprise attack, there was no reason to strike her at all. Gritting my teeth, I pulled the axe from the table.
An ugly gouge remained on the elegant wood. The spilled wine seeped into the mark, staining the scar purple.
If she told me to pay for it, I’d have to. Though to someone like Senior Delphine, the rightful successor of the Yurdina Family, this would be nothing more than pocket change.
Seeing me hook the hand axe back onto my belt, Senior Delphine nodded slightly as if she had expected it. She drained the rest of the wine in her glass. Perhaps the alcohol was finally kicking in, as a faint flush had risen to her cheeks.
Her eyelids curved into crescents. It was a seductive smile.
"You know, when I find someone I like, I can't help but want to tease them… What do you think of mischievous women?"
I let out a hollow, half-formed laugh. My eyes remained sharp despite her frivolous words.
"…Based on today, I’m not a fan."
"That’s a shame. But it’s fine. You’ll be coming under me eventually anyway."
With that, Senior Delphine walked slowly toward me until she stood directly in front of me. She leaned in close. We were at such a distance that if I focused, I could feel the faint warmth radiating from her skin.
The fragrant scent of wine brushed my nose. Her hot breath dampened the area near my ear and neck.
"To trust each other, we shouldn't have any secrets, right? That’s why I gave you a special look."
"You’re going to regret this."
"Regret… Me? Ahaha!"
Senior Delphine burst into a giggle as if she had heard a hilarious joke. Her movements were becoming more exaggerated; she was definitely getting drunk. Come to think of it, I felt a bit lightheaded myself—I might have been slightly intoxicated too.
Perhaps that was why I could speak so boldly to a titan like her without a hint of trembling.
It wasn't just a matter of being brave. My cold, sunken eyes were even now scanning her vital points.
Her snow-white neck was the most viable target at the moment. But whether she noticed my thoughts or not, Senior Delphine whispered into my ear after laughing for a long while.
"…Ian Percus."
Glancing sideways, I saw her blood-red eyes. They looked somewhat hazy, yet they couldn't hide the brilliance deep within.
The pride of a predator, and an absolute conviction in herself.
"I have never once lived with regret. If such a day ever comes, it will only be when I have been defeated."
In other words, she had never lost. Her words revealed an absolute confidence that she never would, either. If it were anyone else, I might have laughed it off as arrogant nonsense.
But it was different coming from Senior Delphine. She had the right to say it. The trajectory of her life was proof enough.
I knew it well. The weight of words changes depending on who speaks them. Nevertheless, out of spite, a sarcastic remark slipped from my lips.
"You shouldn't be so careless… especially when you're unarmed like this."
"Want to test that?"
A provocative smile formed on her lips. I let out a long sigh and looked away as if I had lost interest.
It was at that exact moment that my hand axe was drawn.
With a sharp whoosh that tore through the air, the axe blade flashed. Like the blade of a guillotine, the hand axe fell in a perfect arc.
A straight line—a simple yet most powerful strike. Generally, short-range weapons suffer a disadvantage in reach, but the story changes when the enemy is this close.
The shorter the weapon, the easier it is to accelerate it in an instant. My hand axe was no different. A chilling light swept down even faster than a sword-draw.
But before the line could even be completed—
Clang!
With a metallic collision, sparks flew.
Senior Delphine’s hand, which had been resting near her thigh, shot out like a bolt of lightning. A golden radiance swept upward from below.
It was a dagger. The dagger, now wreathed in a golden aura, deflected my hand axe with ease. The unexpected impact sent the axe flying upward, and that was the end of it.
The dagger, coated in golden aura, was pressed against my throat. I could feel a faint heat against my skin.
I had heard that Senior Delphine’s aura possessed an intense heat capable of melting most metals just by touching them. If it only felt warm, it meant she was holding back.
A frustrated groan escaped my lips. Senior Delphine gave a slight eye-smile.
Her gown, unable to withstand the sudden movement, slipped slightly off her shoulder, but I forced myself not to look.
Doing so would feel like a defeat, both as a swordsman and as a man.
When my hand axe stopped moving, held high from the deflection, Senior Delphine withdrew her dagger with a satisfied expression. The golden aura clinging to the blade dissipated.
"…You were hiding a weapon?"
"Of course. Did you think someone like me would meet someone in private without any means of self-defense? Oh, if you want it, you can have it. Though I was keeping it strapped to my inner thigh."
So that’s why the blade smelled so sweet. I suddenly realized the source of the faint fragrance I’d noticed when the blade touched my throat.
Senior Delphine watched me with a playful, confident gaze. She seemed to be in a very good mood; if I asked for the dagger now, she might actually give it to me.
It was an attractive offer, but my answer was always the same. I looked at her with a sour expression and spoke.
"I don't need it."
Talk about pride. My repeated rejection seemed to pique her slightly, as her face soured for a moment. But she soon shrugged it off as if it didn't matter and opened her mouth.
"Anyway, you see now, don't you? Whether I'm careless or not, it's impossible for you to beat me—"
At that moment, strength returned to my hand gripping the axe handle.
The hand axe had been knocked high by her dagger. It was still up there, and the moment my arm muscles tensed, the outcome was already decided.
Tearing through the air, the axe blade swung down at high speed.
Another surprise attack. I thought it was a perfect strike, catching her off guard, but Senior Delphine’s reaction was even swifter.
Her blood-red eyes turned cold again, and her dagger shot out like a flash of lightning. At this rate, the previous situation was bound to repeat itself. A faint sneer touched her eyes.
But in the next instant—
Squelch.
With the sound of tearing flesh, blood sprayed out. It was Senior Delphine whose eyes widened in shock.
Because the thing blocking her dagger was my palm.
A searing, agonizing pain flared. The sensation of skin and muscle being gouged out was something I could never get used to, no matter how many times I experienced it. It was a pain that felt like a needle piercing through my spine. I clamped my jaw shut, forcing back the scream that threatened to erupt.
Senior Delphine’s gaze went blank. She clearly hadn't expected this.
It was a dirty trick. But what could I do? Right now, more than anything, I couldn't stand not landing a single blow on her.
It was the moment my hand axe finally reached her.