chapter_0215

214 – The Unexpected

214 – The Unexpected

Hamelton, sweating coldly, took a step back.

Unknowingly shivering, Hamelton nervously touched his neck and spoke.

“…Have we met before?”

“Is that really important right now?”

It wasn’t an incorrect statement.

After a moment of awkwardness, Hamelton furrowed one eyebrow.

“Hey. I don’t know who you are, but I’m currently teaching swordsmanship to the young lady under the orders of Count Caledra. So, could you please not interfere and step aside?”

“Teaching swordsmanship, huh?”

Daniel, taken aback, let out a hollow laugh.

“Is it swordsmanship to inflict violence on a mere ten-year-old child? The way you boldly call this education makes it seem like you were beaten up as a child too.”

The smile faded from Hamelton’s lips.

“…I don’t know where you crawled out from, but don’t talk too much. If you’re not careful, I might just teach you swordsmanship too.”

“Now that’s a kind thing to say. I was just thinking I wanted to beat you up.”

“Wow. I thought you had some courage, but it turns out you’re just insane? You want to fight me?”

Nodding, Daniel turned to look back.

“Lady, please give me a wooden sword.”

However, Lucy merely shook her head.

Lucy knew.

She knew how cruel the man named Hamelton was.

If Daniel were to lose, he might be beaten to the brink of death.

So, she couldn’t allow the fight.

“No. If something happens to you, I…”

“Can’t you trust me?”

At his warm words, Lucy hesitated and looked up.

Daniel smiled quietly at her.

“I will never betray your expectations.”

It was a gentle coaxing that made her want to believe him.

After a moment of hesitation, Lucy finally extended the wooden sword to Daniel.

Receiving the wooden sword, Daniel lightly bowed his head in gratitude and turned back.

He could see Hamelton looking at him with disbelief.

“Are you really going to fight me? You, a mere servant of the mansion?”

“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”

“You’re completely insane. Well, whatever.”

Relaxing his shoulders, Hamelton took a few steps back.

“This is your fault for picking a fight first, so Count Caledra will understand. I’m going to make you half a cripple now, so don’t blame me too much, okay?”

With that, Hamelton tensed his legs.

In an instant, he exploded forward, intending to put his weight into the wooden sword for an attack.

Having had past experiences with Hamelton, Daniel took a deep breath and gripped the wooden sword tightly.

‘Hamelton can freely use physical enhancement abilities. If this drags on, it’s clear I’ll be at a disadvantage. So…’

He would go for a quick resolution.

The moment Hamelton’s feet hit the ground, Daniel accelerated his nerves.

In the slowly flowing world, he could see Hamelton rising into the air.

The trajectory of the wooden sword he was about to swing was also clearly visible.

‘Even if I subdue him like this, it wouldn’t matter, but…’

If he did that, there was a possibility he would be accused of using his neural acceleration ability rather than swordsmanship.

‘So I need to make it look like I won purely with swordsmanship.’

The moment Daniel finished his thoughts, the neural acceleration released, and Hamelton swung his sword.

However.

Whoosh—

Knowing the trajectory of the sword in advance, Daniel easily dodged and took his stance.

“…!”

The moment Hamelton’s eyes rolled in surprise.

Bam—

Seizing the opportunity, Daniel struck Hamelton’s side with the wooden sword.

Hamelton’s body naturally swayed.

‘Did he block my attack? How?’

Before he could continue his thoughts, Daniel’s attack followed.

Hamelton, enduring the pain, took a brutish defensive stance.

Bang!

The wooden swords clashed, creating a dull sound.

Losing his balance, Hamelton tried to push Daniel away with sheer force.

‘…What?’

Daniel’s wooden sword, spinning smoothly, aimed for his neck.

As he stepped back to avoid the hit to his neck, his balance faltered.

Daniel seized that moment and kicked Hamelton’s legs.

Crash!

Hamelton, dropping the wooden sword, fell unceremoniously to the ground.

“Gah…!”

Gasping, Hamelton could only take a deep breath as he looked up.

Daniel was looking down at him with a dignified posture.

“Is this the level of skill you have to talk about swordsmanship?”

“I…”

“Get lost. Unless you want to become half a cripple.”

Hamelton, biting his teeth in frustration, stood up.

It seemed he couldn’t accept losing to a mere servant, so he glared at Daniel but didn’t charge at him.

He felt the difference in skill.

In the end, Hamelton turned and left the training ground, and the nearby servants, unsure of what to do, followed him outside.

Thanks to that, Daniel let out a low breath in the space left alone with Lucy.

‘That was dangerous.’

If Hamelton charged again, victory wouldn’t be guaranteed.

Still, relieved that things had gone well, Lucy suddenly shouted.

“You idiot!”

Idiot? Turning around in disbelief, he saw Lucy biting her lip.

“…Are you really an idiot? Are you just a complete fool? What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really not know? If Count Caledra hears about what just happened, you could be in danger!”

Though her words were a bit harsh, Lucy was worried about Daniel.

Daniel understood to some extent why she was worried, but it didn’t matter.

He hadn’t acted without a plan.

“Lady, Count Caledra is the kind of person who would use a monkey if it helps his plans. So don’t worry. If he hears about today, he might hire me as a swordsmanship teacher, but he won’t dismiss me.”

As Daniel spoke convincingly, Lucy’s expression turned uncertain.

Looking down at her, Daniel’s face grew slightly angry.

“And the fool is not me, but you, Lady. That bastard Hamelton… no, that bad guy was beating you, and yet why didn’t you ask anyone for help?”

Only after witnessing Hamelton’s violence against Lucy did Daniel realize.

He understood why Lucy insisted on wearing long clothes even in the summer.

‘She probably didn’t want to show me the bruises on her body.’

Lucy had been wearing long clothes all this time to avoid worrying Daniel.

That felt incredibly frustrating to Daniel.

“Even if you just grabbed any of the servants and told them that Hamelton was being violent…”

Daniel stopped mid-sentence.

He recalled how the servants present during the swordsmanship lesson had accepted Hamelton’s violence with indifference.

“Did no one…?”

A small shock left behind a sense of sympathy.

“Did no one consider your pain, Lady?”

Lucy fell silent, her gaze downcast.

When she first started her lessons, Lucy must have cried out, asking not to be hit, not to use violence.

But each time, what she saw were the indifferent faces of the servants.

No matter how much she asked for help, all she received in return was neglect and indifference.

So Lucy had given up.

She had come to accept that this world was made of suffering.

Understanding all of this, Daniel knelt on one knee.

“Lady, I may not be like others, but I will never ignore your requests. So if anything difficult happens in the future, please tell me.”

Lucy nodded slightly and suddenly stepped forward.

Then she lightly embraced Daniel.

Daniel didn’t ask what that action meant.

He could see Lucy’s delicate shoulders trembling slightly.

So, Daniel silently raised his hand and gently stroked Lucy’s back.

To help heal the wounds she had endured.

–

As expected, upon hearing about the events in the training ground, Count Caledra appointed Daniel as the new swordsmanship teacher.

Daniel, who became Lucy’s attendant and mentor, diligently fulfilled his duties.

He took care of Lucy by her side, providing education instead of violence.

Thanks to that, Lucy began to smile more and more each day.

Though Daniel didn’t know when Lucy would regain her memories, he felt satisfied.

He hoped that Lucy could forget all the pain in her heart.

However, life always had a way of encountering unexpected ambushes.

“Are you bragging about the fact that you still haven’t awakened any new abilities?”

It was six months after Daniel became Lucy’s swordsmanship teacher.

On the day he accidentally overheard Count Caledra talking with his confidant in the garden.

Curious about what they were discussing, Daniel, hiding behind a pillar in the corridor, was able to understand.

“We can’t leave evidence of the human experiments like this. As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, dispose of Lucy Emilia.”

That was when he realized that the history of this world had changed.