Where Does It Hurt?
As soon as she stepped into the garden, Leonia felt a wave of dizziness hit her.
“Ugh…”
“Are you alright?”
“...I’m fine.”
Leonia had been buried under a mountain of work lately, and the spar with Selene had left her in a foul mood ever since. In that exhausted state, she was sliding far too easily into Damian’s trap.
Still, this is impressive. Every test showed that the anesthetic poison scattered throughout the garden should have knocked her out cold by now…
Crack.
Damian crushed one of the pendants he had purchased from Cassian.
“Hmm? Did something just break?”
“Did it? I didn’t hear anything.”
Leonia had already inhaled the paralyzing toxin that weakened the body without noticing a thing.
Good. Now for the finishing touch…
With every preparation complete, Damian drew his sword.
“Shall we begin?”
“...Yes.”
Leonia drew her own blade, swaying slightly on her feet.
This will complete it. If she loses to me right after losing to Selene, she won’t be able to endure.
The two swords clashed with a ringing kang!
“Huff… huff…”
Leonia was already panting. Yet she sensed nothing strange. A hypnotic spell ensured she wouldn’t notice anything amiss, and it also kept her from realizing that her opponent had cast defensive magic to protect himself from the paralytic.
It’s over!
Seeing her body gradually falter, Damian didn’t miss the opening. He knocked aside her sluggish strike and closed the distance in an instant.
“Ugh?!”
His sword slashed toward her solar plexus.
“What?!”
The one whose vision spun was Damian.
“You should always account for close-quarters grappling!”
Leonia had deftly slipped inside his attack, grabbed his collar, and slammed him to the ground.
“Damn it…”
Damian looked up at her in shock from where he lay sprawled.
Did she notice something?
Leonia approached slowly.
“Are you alright?”
Her expression was the same as always—though clearly tired—as she offered him a hand.
Don’t you dare look down on me!
“Haha, you really got me there.”
“In close range… you must always be ready for a brawl. Swordsmanship isn’t only about using a sword.”
“I see.”
Damian barely suppressed the twist of his features as he regained his stance.
So this is the Empire’s Sword, is it?
He had been certain of victory. He had paralyzed her with poison. He had used the pendant laced with hypnotic magic to dull her senses. Yet she remained strong. He could not bring her down with his own power.
Just how far must I go before you become mine?
Damian ground his teeth. From their very first meeting, Leonia had never been an easy opponent. At first he had approached her only to claim the Valteria name, but she left him no openings.
He had always enjoyed toying with noblewomen and discarding them. For some reason, those methods had no effect on her.
The moment he encountered a woman he could not easily break—
I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her I want her—
—Damian felt love for the first time. A love twisted somewhere deep inside.
Stay calm. We’re almost there.
He knew this was the perfect chance. This was his last real opportunity to claim Leonia.
A low hum.
Damian pretended to tie his shoelace and pressed his palm to the ground. Mana began to flow across the garden floor, but Leonia noticed nothing.
“Let’s try again.”
“Again?”
“I’d like to practice more.”
“...Alright.”
Damian reset his stance, glancing at the spot where he had poured his mana moments earlier—the ground right in front of Leonia.
“Begin.”
“Yes.”
The moment their swords swung again—
Crunch.
Leonia stepped precisely onto the mana-infused ground.
“Ugh?!”
Icy energy surged from the earth and locked her feet in place.
“What?”
The instant her movement was hindered and she turned her head—
Thud.
“Ugh?!”
Damian struck her solar plexus without missing the chance.
“Cough?!”
Leonia staggered and collapsed.
“Ah! Are you alright, Student Council President?”
Damian rushed to support her, feigning concern.
“I-I’m fine.”
Leonia quickly stood and checked the ground. There was nothing there.
“What was that? Just now, something came from the ground…”
“Lady Leonia. Did I win just now?”
“Huh?”
Damian’s words stole her attention.
“It’s a first. Beating the Student Council President in swordsmanship.”
“I-is that so? Congratulations.”
“I’m truly delighted.”
Shing.
“Though it was only luck. Shall we go again?”
“Again?”
Leonia rose unsteadily. By now she should have realized something was wrong with her body.
Crack.
Damian shattered another expensive mana pendant.
“Let’s continue. I want to be your sparring partner.”
And then—
“Ugh…”
“Haha! I… I won again?”
“O-one more…”
Leonia’s hands trembled.
I… I lost to Damian?
The same feeling she had felt against Selene recently—only this pain was far worse—flooded over her.
“What’s wrong, Lady Leonia? Why has your skill deteriorated so badly?”
“What?”
“Hmm… with those rumors about you and Selene… people might actually start believing them at this rate.”
“T-that’s…”
“To lose even to someone as ordinary as me…”
“N-no!”
Leonia charged in, face pale. Her mind spun, and agonizing memories flashed past without end.
“I… I…”
Crunch. Kang!
Damian froze her feet with ice magic once more, deflected her sword, and rushed in.
“Ugh?!”
Within her dizzy mind, unforgettable scenes played like a revolving lantern.
The memory of her father being slaughtered before her eyes as she was thrown down by Damian.
“Father…”
Thump.
“Cough?!”
Leonia was slammed to the ground, collar seized.
“Haa… haa… With this… I have won at last.”
“Father…”
Leonia staggered upright, then collapsed again. She no longer had the strength to fight.
“Student Council President!”
Damian hurried to support her.
“Ugh… I’m alright…”
Leonia tried to push him away.
A low hum.
But Damian secretly planted his freezing magic at the nape of her neck.
“Hic?!”
Leonia suddenly felt bone-chilling cold and hugged herself.
“C-cold…”
“President? Are you okay?”
Damian forcibly pulled the shivering Leonia into his arms. She tried to break free, but—
“Ugh?”
—she felt a sudden warmth. Damian had temporarily withdrawn the freezing energy.
“Mmm…”
“Don’t worry.”
“So cold…”
“Lean on me now.”
“......”
Overwhelmed by exhaustion and cold, Leonia’s eyes slowly closed. Damian deliberately released her and intensified the chill again.
“Mmm… Damian… don’t go… don’t go…”
“It’s alright. I’m right here.”
By pushing and pulling her like this, Damian had completely seized control of Leonia.
Heh heh. Finally…
Just like he had done with the other women.
You are mine now.
* * * * *
“E-excuse me.”
“Not at all.”
A short while later, when Leonia was beginning to shake off the paralytic, Damian released her from the icy prison. But it was only temporary. The freezing seed he had planted inside her ensured she could never escape the chills as long as his Phronivis remained.
“Eek?!”
Damian smiled darkly and activated his power once more.
“S-sorry.”
Leonia reflexively clung to him. He eased the cold slightly.
“Sorry… just a little longer… just a bit more…”
“It’s fine. I’ll always stay by your side.”
“Why… why am I like this?”
“I’m worried. The swordsmanship tournament is coming up soon.”
“The tournament…”
The moment he mentioned the tournament he intensified the cold again.
“Eek?! It’s cold…”
Leonia hugged him even tighter on reflex.
“Huff… huff…”
“Feeling better now?”
“Sorry… I’m sorry for showing such disgrace…”
“It’s alright.”
“I’ve caused you trouble for no reason…”
“It’s alright. The truth is, I—”
It was time to drive the final nail in. Damian delivered the line he had prepared.
“Hey! Leonia, you in there?”
“......”
At the unwelcome voice coming from somewhere, Damian clicked his tongue and released her.
“Hmm? Instructor Brika? What brings you to the academy?”
“Ah, I’ve got something to show you. Mind coming with me for a bit?”
With her attention diverted, Leonia regained some of her composure.
“Hmm… I wanted to speak with Leonia alone, though?”
“What’s this about?”
Damian seethed inwardly but sent them off with a smile.
“I’ll handle the remaining chores. Take care, President.”
“Hmm… sorry about this.”
Leonia looked back at Damian with a somewhat uneasy expression.
Tch. Not yet?
He knew exactly what that look meant.
I’ll have to repeat the process a few more times.
So Damian pretended to part ways, then began following the two of them.
* * * * *
A short while later.
What could they be talking about in there?
While Damian waited outside the building the pair had entered—
“S-sorry. Let’s… let’s talk next time.”
—he saw Leonia burst out with an even paler face than before.
Perfect timing.
He watched her hurry back toward the student council room and activated the Phronivis he had planted on her once more.
“Ugh… haa…”
Already under immense stress for reasons she couldn’t understand, Leonia shuddered violently as another wave of chills hit her.
“C-cold… Father…”
At the same time, a conditioned reflex took over and she began searching for someone.
“Da…mian…”
The moment he heard her voice, Damian smiled again. He appeared from a distance and simply watched her.
“Da…mian…”
But he did not move. He did not approach or pull her in.
“Wait… over here…”
This time, Leonia slowly walked toward him instead. Like an animal driven by an unbearable urge. Like someone who had realized something was terribly wrong.
“Come… to me…”
She moved her body.
Come to me.
This was how they all became slaves. The primal agony of cold. The desperate desire to escape it. The moment that desire became confused with love—no, with lust—was the moment Damian took them into his grasp.
So come. Crawl to me and become mine!
The distance between them shrank to only a few steps.
Leonia Valteria. You are mine now.
The instant Damian was certain of total victory—
Squeeze.
Something slipped between them.
“Ugh?!”
“What are you doing here?”
Leonia reflexively clung tightly to the one who had come to shelter her from the cold.
“Student Council girl. What are you doing?”
“Professor… Selene… I’m… cold…”
“Cold?”
The small, adorable being who was not Damian…