The Sword Holds Will (7)

‘Done!’

Around the time Lillith Rosewood received permission from Ethan to participate in the mock sparring ground training and quietly cheered inwardly.

“…….”

“…….”

Just as there is light where there is darkness, there were two people who were not pleased with this situation.

Ethan Richard Blackwood, and Emilia Reinhart.

Of the three men and women, the two besides Lillith were not at all pleased with the current situation.

Especially Ethan, Lillith’s Master, whose heart was burning black with worry that she might get hurt.

No matter how he thought about it, the very fact that her participation in this training had been approved was utterly displeasing to him.

‘A mock sparring match with soldiers… No matter how I think about it, it’s dangerous…’

Just today, when he heard in the carriage that she had subjugated Hookfang, he thought his heart would drop.

And now, she was fearlessly stepping forward to have a mock sparring match with soldiers.

Of course, in terms of sheer danger, the incident a year ago where she faced Hookfang one-on-one was undoubtedly far more perilous and reckless.

…But that experience didn’t mean Ethan could completely dismiss his worries about Lillith.

The battle she fought a year ago was merely an ‘experience’ of subjugating Hookfang, and certainly not proof of her ‘skill’ to overwhelm a new recruit soldier.

‘The Maid isn’t the type to lie, so the claim that she subjugated Hookfang is probably true, but…’

Even if she didn’t lose the sparring match, there was still a high chance of injury, and since fighting people and monsters are quite different, the possibility of unforeseen variables was also high.

In other words, by simply participating in this mock sparring match, there was a high probability that she would return with scratches somewhere on her body.

Therefore, Ethan, who genuinely worried about Lillith, tried to prevent her from participating in the mock sparring match by any means.

‘As expected, Young Master didn’t believe me. At least not about my record of subjugating Hookfang.’

‘Just a moment ago, you said I was your most trusted servant, but it seems I misunderstood.’

Seeing Lillith speak to him with such cold eyes, Ethan had no choice but to grant her request for a sparring match.

He hated seeing Lillith get hurt, but he hated being disliked by Lillith even more.

Ethan clearly understood that his childish actions in the past had inflicted an indelible wound on her heart.

That’s why he felt grateful to Lillith for awakening him from his childish days, and at the same time, he resolved not to hurt her again in the future.

However, Ethan simply couldn’t understand her actions, willingly throwing herself into dangerous situations like this.

Of course, as she said, understanding the mock training methods and assessing the new recruits’ skills would be helpful for his Territory Patrol.

Even just that much would prevent rumors from spreading later that he had only pretended to patrol the territory.

However, from the moment he brought Lillith here, Ethan’s purpose wasn’t really a Territory Patrol.

He had simply taken Lillith outside the mansion using the easiest and most convenient method he could think of, because she had expressed a desire to visit the Territory Security Force.

And furthermore, he was curious about what kind of man Ser Blacksong, whom Lillith said she wanted to meet, was, and simply wanted to meet him.

So, naturally, for Ethan, Lillith not getting hurt was more important than successfully completing the Territory Patrol.

But her stance remained firm until the end, and Ethan, unable to resist the pressure, had no choice but to agree to Lillith’s proposal.

“…Ensure the Maid is provided with proper equipment and protective gear so she can participate in the mock sparring match with the new recruits.”

He had already done plenty to earn Lillith’s dislike, and had even been called ‘the worst man in the entire world’ by her own mouth.

Therefore, anything that might even slightly increase Lillith’s dislike for him was something Ethan desperately wanted to avoid.

…Meanwhile.

Emilia Reinhart, the very person who created this situation, was also burning with anxiety.

‘I really should have listened to Captain-nim Ser. Such a mistake…’

Emilia, agonizing over the situation she had caused, was burning with anxiety in a different way than Ethan.

At first, she had started this whole thing, thinking that Captain-nim, who was always soft on others, had once again let his achievements slip away somewhere.

But once she looked into it, it was a situation Emilia hadn’t anticipated at all: there were political maneuvers she hadn’t expected.

‘I never imagined that the Maid Captain-nim Ser yielded his achievements to would be the Blackwood Prince’s Concubine…’

It was just a simple suspicion that a pretty, large-chested Maid had seduced Captain-nim and stolen his achievements.

She had never imagined that the Maid was the Blackwood Prince’s Concubine, and that Captain-nim Ser had yielded his achievements with political intentions.

Of course, Lillith was neither Ethan’s Concubine nor had she ever seduced Ser to steal achievements, but to Emilia’s eyes, the situation could only appear that way.

The Prince, who glared at her with murderous intent and got angry the moment she uttered an insult about that Maid named Lillith.

And that Maid, who, with an innocent expression, comfortably asked to participate in the mock sparring match.

Considering all these circumstances, the suspicion in Emilia’s mind had already solidified into conviction.

That currently, the only person who could handle the Blackwood Ducal Family’s Prince was his Concubine, Lillith.

‘I heard rumors that Prince Ethan had changed recently, but I never thought it was just because he wanted to look good to his Concubine…’

Seeing the truth of the rumors with her own eyes left her feeling somewhat hollow.

The problem, however, was that her situation was worsening to the point where she couldn’t even properly feel that hollowness.

For one, the moment the mock sparring match began, that Maid named Lillith’s defeat was as good as confirmed.

Even if they were new recruits, they were still adult men, selected after passing basic strength and stamina tests.

Moreover, they were soldiers who had already been in the Security Force for half a year, meaning they had received basic training.

Could it even be said that such a large-chested, clumsy-looking Maid could face such soldiers?

Looking at her chest, which seemed like it would make it difficult to even swing a sword properly, Emilia inwardly showered her with all sorts of curses.

Surely, that chest must have played a major role when she seduced Prince Ethan.

And when she stole the achievements, she must have seduced Captain-nim Ser with that promiscuous mass of fat.

To think she would participate in a mock sparring match with a chest that seemed nothing but a hindrance to swinging a sword.

Thinking that such a part would be far more useful for handling a man’s sword than a wooden one, Emilia inwardly hurled all sorts of accusations about what she ‘lacked’.

Of course, even if she criticized Lillith’s chest now, her own situation wasn’t going to improve.

The moment Lillith declared her participation in the training, with Prince Ethan’s permission, only a terrible future awaited Emilia.

There was no way that Maid could win against a new recruit soldier, and since they were new recruits, they wouldn’t be able to hold back their strength and go easy on her.

Ultimately, it was already a confirmed fact that she would get injured during the sparring match.

The problem was that the moment that Maid’s body got a scratch, Prince Ethan wouldn’t leave her alone.

It didn’t take long for her uneasy premonition to become reality.

“Emilia.”

“…Yes, Young Master.”

“Because of the reckless words that came out of your mouth, you put my Maid in danger. So, be prepared to take responsibility if anything goes wrong.”

“…Understood.”

“If my Maid gets even the smallest scratch anywhere on her body, I will carve an identical, never-healing scar onto the same spot on your body.”

“……Yes.”

Ethan delivered a quiet threat in a voice only she could hear, a little distance away from Lillith.

Listening to his irresistible threat, Emilia silently prayed in her heart.

A presumptuous wish that, if Lillith were to lose, she would at least lose without getting hurt.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Immediately after Ethan’s permission was granted and the sparring match with the new recruits was arranged.

Thanks to Ethan’s order to provide proper equipment and protective gear, I first moved with Emilia to the sparring preparation room next to the mock sparring ground.

It was a small, warehouse-like place where armor, helmets, and other protective gear, as well as weapons like swords and spears, bearing the faint marks of time, were gathered.

The armor was clearly distinguished into male and female forms, and all weapons had blunted tips to prevent casualties.

Presumably, the blunt edge touching the body would determine the winner and loser of the sparring match.

If someone were actually cut, it would be a major accident, so the edges must have been dulled so that even if struck, it would only hurt.

“The mock sparring experience will proceed with full upper and lower body armor, a helmet, gloves, and shoes. This is to prevent Lady Lillith’s injuries, so please understand this measure.”

“Ah, yes…”

Emilia bowed her head, her expression somewhat tired, perhaps due to my unreasonable request.

I wanted to ask her to reduce any unnecessary equipment, but I had a feeling that bringing it up would inevitably prolong the conversation.

I had no choice but to nod and accept Emilia’s suggestion.

‘…Well, even if I lose the sparring match, I’ll still get experience points anyway.’

Of course, I strongly wanted to win since more experience points are gained when winning, but getting experience even when losing wasn’t bad for me.

In fact, with sturdy armor, even if I accidentally let through an attack or two, I could continue the sparring match until the end.

Or, even if I lost, I could end up with only minor injuries and get back up, using it as a reason to request another sparring match.

‘I need to hit level 6. Nothing more, just level 6…’

Since there’s no set level for soldiers, I don’t know how many low-ranking soldiers I’d have to face to reach level 6.

But if I put my mind to it, I could probably raise one level within three or four mock sparring matches.

As I changed into the defensive gear Emilia handed me, preparing for the training, with those thoughts in mind.

“……Ah.”

The moment I tried to put on the upper body armor, I felt a large mass of fat getting in the way around my chest.

“…Um, Emilia-ssi?”

“Yes.”

“This chest armor… it’s a bit small, could you change it for me?”

“What? I’m sure I gave Lady Lillith a size that matched your height.”

“My height is right, but… my chest is a bit in the way…”

“…….”

At my reply, Emilia alternately stared at my chest and the upper body armor with a cold gaze.

Without a word, she took out a different chest armor and pushed it towards me.

“…This is one size larger, so you can wear this.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“…….”

…For some reason, I felt a sense of jealousy or hatred in her final gaze towards me, but.

Well, it must just be my imagination.