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Chapter 3
Go Easy on Me
“L–Lord Marquis!”
“I put in several requests to visit the young lady, but since they were all declined, I came myself without notice. Is Lady Sylvestre at home?”
“Ah, w–well, that is…”
“No need to be so on edge. I only want to confirm that the lady is well. I’ll leave right away after that.”
Kailian Thermos, the Marquis of Acticos and commander of the continent’s most renowned Red Moon Order of Knights.
The butler was visibly flustered the moment he opened the door and was met with the man’s cold, overwhelming charisma.
Wh–what am I supposed to do…?
“Hey! Are you planning to turn away the marquis at the door? Hurry and show us in!”
Whale, the vice-commander of the Red Moon Order and Kailian’s secretary as well as his knight, scolded the hesitant butler so fiercely that he nearly jumped. Bowing in a hurry, the butler stepped aside.
“Y–yes, Lord Marquis. Please, come in.”
As they walked down the grand and ornate hallway toward the reception room, the butler stammered out a makeshift excuse.
“The duke is away on business in the capital, and the young lady… is not in good health, so she’s staying at the villa in Anatole for the time being—”
It was then.
Kailian’s gaze drifted toward a sudden sharp shout echoing from outside.
“Hmm?”
“What is it, Commander?”
Whale stopped as well and followed his lord’s gaze out the window.
“Haaat! Haap!”
“Hyah! Hah!”
In the distant training grounds outside, Himena was sparring with a broad-shouldered knight, both wielding wooden swords.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down the old butler’s forehead.
“She… she was headed to the villa, but then changed her mind and, uh, has been training in swordsmanship and working on her fitness every day instead. Haha…”
“The young lady practices swordsmanship?”
At the butler’s awkward explanation, Kailian’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Himena’s movements more intently.
“Taah!”
“Urgh!”
Clang!
Himena’s wooden sword flew from her grip and clattered loudly onto the ground under the knight’s strike.
“Heh, now, admit defeat, my lady.”
Royce, who had been sparring with her daily for the past two weeks, smirked arrogantly.
“Defeat? Do you really think so?”
Suddenly, Himena lunged, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him hard onto the dirt floor.
Thud!
“Gahh!”
“Hah! See, you only lose if you get thrown out of the ring. Isn’t that right?”
This time Himena dusted off her hands and smiled in triumph.
Royce, tossed out of the circle and groaning on the ground, whined like a child despite his large frame.
“My lady, why do you always use grappling techniques in a sword match? That’s cheating!”
“Cheating? Not at all! Didn’t I say so? You teach me swordsmanship, and I’ll teach you martial arts. Learning both at once is better, right? Now, get up!”
“Tch.”
Sulking, Royce reluctantly took her outstretched hand.
After hiding away in the mansion for over ten days, training her body alone, she had realized that in this world of monsters and magical beasts, swordsmanship was essential. So, about two weeks ago, she went to the ducal knights’ barracks herself to choose a personal guard to help her train.
But then…
“Tsk, what’s this? The socialite lady suddenly wants sword training?”
“Maybe it’s not swordsmanship she needs training in…”
“What do you mean?”
“You know… the kind of skills needed in the bedroom.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I’m plenty confident! Hahaha…”
The tense face she had worn when she first entered the barracks had instantly twisted in rage, her brow shooting up.
Ha! These bastards really think I’m trash… and I can’t even deny it. Damn it, how did I end up like this…
Himena Sylvestre—who was she? The daughter of a founding hero of the Kedem Empire, wielding both wealth and influence, yet infamous as society’s villainess. Obsessed with winning the respect of Marquis Kailian Thermos, she schemed and spread scandals, even rumored to have entangled herself with men just to provoke his attention.
I know, I know! But things are different now. I’m not walking down that path to a miserable death again.
“Oh, seeing her in person, she’s quite the beauty.”
“Heh, give it a try. Who knows? One night with her might change your life.”
Crack!
A vein bulged on Himena’s temple. The mockery had gone too far. Even if she deserved her bad reputation, being insulted so openly was intolerable. Her fiery temper burst through. And besides—
If I’m to inherit Father’s lands and knights one day, they can’t start looking down on me already!
Crack, crack!
Loosening her neck with ominous pops, she strode onto the sparring ground and jabbed a finger at the gossiping knights.
“You there, and you, and you. Step up, one at a time.”
“Pardon?”
“I haven’t had proper sword training, so I’ll first test your barehand skills. I need to see the strength of the knights protecting the Karapedon estate. Anyone who beats me is disqualified from becoming my guard.”
“Pfft! See? She really does need… other training.”
“She just wants an excuse to roll around with us. Shall we humor her a bit?”
Chuckling, the knights set their swords aside and climbed onto the ring.
“My lady, please go easy on us. We’ll keep it gentle, too—”
Smack!!
“Gahhh!”
Thud!
“Wh–what the—? When did—”
Before he could finish laughing, one knight’s head snapped back from her spinning kick, sending him flying.
“Next!”
“Huh?”
Smack!!
“Urgh!”
“How can you be this slow? Next!”
“W–wait, my lady—”
Pow! Pow!
“Gah! Ughk!”
Before they could even speak, fists and kicks rained down, and three knights lay sprawled on the dirt within seconds.
Taekwondo, judo, hapkido, MMA! My body’s been trained since childhood to become a police officer. You can’t look down on people just because you have a sword.
Pointing ruthlessly at the shocked knights, Himena barked,
“You! You! Up here. Both of you at once!”
“What, us?”
Smack!!
“Grhhk!”
Pow! Thud! Crack!
“Aaagh! Cough, cough!”
Kaboom! Slam!
“Ughhh…”
“Ow…”
Soon the sparring ground echoed with the chorus of groans from knights scattered all over.
Just then, Royce, returning late from a “call of nature,” froze at the sight.
W–what in the world…?
The knights, who earlier had been slouching and chatting, now stood stiffly in formation before Himena, lined up in silence. Not knowing what was going on, Royce slipped into the line as well.
“No one else wants to withdraw from being my guard?”
At that, the knights all swallowed hard and, as if on cue, stepped back a pace—leaving only Royce standing alone.
“Well, looks like we’ve found a volunteer.”
“Eh?”
Smack!
“Wha—”
Himena’s kick came flying at his face, but his instincts pulled up his sword just in time to block it.
Blocked? His reflexes are good. But using a sword? That’s cheap…
The pain from kicking the iron blade shot up her leg to the bone.
“Why are you attacking me all of a sudden, my lady? What did I do?”
“Fighting dirty, using weapons?”
Wham!
Crack!
She threw a punch, but it met the flat of his sword again, sending a jolt through her fist.
“Ugh… my hand…”
Her knuckles throbbed red-hot, and she glared at him furiously.
“Why… why are you doing this? At least tell me the reason—”
“Coward!”
Eyes bloodshot, she advanced on him, and Royce stumbled back nervously.
Then the other knights suddenly burst into cheers, shoving him forward.
“Congrats, Royce!”
“You’ve been chosen as the young lady’s guard!”
“We knew it’d be you! Hahaha!”
“W–what? No, wait—”
“Hurry and pack your things! You can’t keep her waiting!”
And so, half against his will, Royce ended up as Himena’s sparring partner and personal guard.
To his surprise, though, training with her turned out to be different from what he’d feared.
“So your name’s Royce? You’re twenty? I’m three years older, so I’ll just talk casually. If you’re uncomfortable here or need anything, just tell me. Let’s get along from now on, okay? Hehe.”
At first, he had been irritated—was he really supposed to be a noble lady’s playmate? Especially one with such a notorious reputation? He had planned to humor her a bit and then quit.
But the more he sparred with her, the more he was forced to admit—she was fast, sharp, and picked up techniques with alarming ease. Her determination was real. And then—
“Royce, you awake?”
“Huh? Yes, why?”
“If you’re not sleeping… want a drink?”
“Drink? Haha, sure!”
Even their drinking sessions went surprisingly well.
“Hic! Be honest—did you pick me just for my looks? You’ve got an eye for that, I’ll give you that—”
“What? Don’t flatter yourself. Hic! Without me, you’d be ‘nameless extra #1.’ I gave you a name, hic! That’s why you exist in this world, got it?”
“Pfft, whatever that means. Hic! Anyway, the booze is good. Cheers!”
“Yeah, cheers!”
Like comrades—or like siblings—they quickly grew close. Royce, disarmed by her down-to-earth attitude, dropped his guard and opened up.
Then one day—
“My lady, my lady! Something’s happened!”
Marie, her maid, came running pale-faced into the training ground.
“Hurry inside, wash up, and change clothes! I’ll help you dress! Quickly!”
“What’s going on? Why the sudden rush—”
“The Marquis of Thermos is here! Hurry!”
“The Mar… what? Kailian Thermos, the marquis?”
Himena’s eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock.
