Chapter 41
Just when I was thinking, “If I’m unlucky, I’m definitely going to get hit,” and tensing up in fear—
Crunch!
“Ugh.”
Along with the harsh grinding of metal, a low groan sounded above my head.
“…?”
I cautiously opened my eyes—and inhaled sharply.
Drip…
Drip…
Bright red blood was falling onto the pure white ground right in front of me.
“…Huh?”
Staring blankly at the pooling blood, I slowly raised my gaze.
There, I saw Sion’s gauntleted hand gripping the blade that had been flying toward me—his hand pierced partway through by it.
“Rin.”
Sion called my name quietly, checking if I was alright.
Still dazed by the unreal scene, I blinked and answered,
“I’m okay.”
At that moment, Dyke—apparently flustered that his attack had been stopped—shouted,
“Y-You caught the blade with your hand! That’s unfair, Young Master!”
At that, a cold voice I had never heard from Sion before slipped out.
“…Unfair?”
Crack. He snapped the extended blade he was holding.
“You dare say that after swinging around a lethal weapon like this—a chain sword—that violates the rules of a spar?”
“Ugh, that’s…”
“You’d have nothing to say even if I punished you on the spot.”
Holding his sword in his left hand instead of his ruined right, Sion strode toward him.
Overwhelmed by the killing intent and pressure, Dyke froze and collapsed to the ground.
Only then did I come to my senses and call out,
“Sion. Stop.”
“……”
“Your hand is bleeding badly. Treatment comes first. Let’s go back.”
Sion didn’t respond.
Seeing how genuinely angry he was, I tugged firmly at his collar again.
Honestly, I wanted to beat that bastard half to death myself for hurting Sion—but right now, treating his injury came first.
“Sion, hurry!”
At my urging, Sion exhaled.
Then he closed his eyes briefly, as if calming the boiling emotions inside him, before opening them again.
“The spar ends here.”
He declared coldly to the knights in the training ground.
And with that, we left.
Looking at Sion’s right hand—now in tatters—I burst into tears.
“Sniff… just hold on a little longer, Sion!”
It hurt just to look at it—how much worse must it feel for him?
But the person in question remained far calmer than I was.
“Calm down. A person doesn’t die from a wound like this.”
“But it still hurts!”
I snapped, upset.
“It’s because I froze like an idiot that you got hurt! I should’ve used my power to deflect it…!”
The moment that bizarre blade came flying at me, I shrank back like a fool—and Sion got injured because of it.
“It’s not your fault. I was simply slow to respond to an unexpected attack.”
As we crossed the corridor, Sion spoke calmly,
“If I hadn’t blocked the chain sword, it wouldn’t have been my hand that got pierced—it might have been your body.”
“……”
To prevent such a horrifying outcome, he had sacrificed his hand—and by saying it was the right choice, he quietly eased my guilt.
Just then, Garen and Diene Shuto appeared from the opposite end of the corridor.
The moment Garen saw Sion’s bleeding hand, his expression stiffened.
“Young Master? What happened—?!”
“I was injured during a spar. No need to make a fuss.”
“But the wound looks quite serious.”
Diene Shuto said casually as she examined his hand.
She took out a bandage from her clothes and wrapped it around his hand.
“I’ve done some basic first aid, but this is only temporary to stop the bleeding. You should get treatment from a priest as soon as possible. You know this, right? If you delay, the external wound may heal, but you could be left with lasting impairment. A knight’s hands are important.”
“What?!”
I shouted in shock.
“Is that true?!”
“…Huh? Huh?”
Diene, who always wore a relaxed expression, stared at me with visible surprise.
Then she pointed at me and asked Garen,
“…Garen. Is that a fairy?”
“…Ah, yes… for now.”
Garen replied awkwardly.
I turned to them and asked,
“Have you seen Genevia?”
“…Oh, if you mean the priestess, she headed to the training grounds a little while ago.”
“What? No, she didn’t come!”
“Really? That’s strange. She said she was going to meet the Young Master and ran off.”
“…?!”
‘What? Did we miss each other?’
I turned to Sion.
“Sion, go back to the annex first! I’ll go find Genevia!”
“Wait, Rin.”
I heard Sion call me quietly—but I pretended not to hear and flew straight back toward the main residence.
Damn it. I’m screwed.
Genevia, bound hand and foot with rope, realized her situation.
Earlier, the moment she heard that the young master from the annex was going to spar, she instinctively knew—the dangerous event the Grand Duchess had warned about was happening.
‘I have to tell Rin!’
Acting on pure instinct, she ran toward the training grounds.
But just as she turned a corner—
‘A foolish choice.’
That man—the Grand Duchess’s adjutant, Jerome—appeared and kidnapped her.
And now, this.
“Why… are you doing this to me?”
Genevia tried to sound composed, but her voice trembled.
…Truthfully, she was terrified.
She knew all too well that people like her could disappear without a trace in situations like this.
Jerome calmly wiped his monocle with a cloth and replied,
“You truly don’t know? Despite being chosen by Her Grace the Grand Duchess, you betrayed the mercy and favor she personally bestowed upon you.”
What nonsense is that?!
Clenching her teeth, Genevia shouted,
“I’m sorry!”
Confessing a crime she didn’t even understand, just to survive.
“Please tell the Grand Duchess I was wrong! Please, spare me!”
“Too late. Her Grace does not grant second chances to insignificant beings like you.”
Jerome replied coldly as he approached, holding a black bead.
Seeing the ominous object, Genevia swallowed.
“W-What is that?”
“A very useful item. It will permanently shut that insignificant mouth of yours.”
Poison.
Realizing her fate, Genevia squeezed her eyes shut.
Her miserable, restrained life flashed before her.
Then, opening her eyes wide in fury, she shouted,
“You bastard! I’ll curse you even in death!”
“…For a priestess, you have quite the foul mouth.”
“Damn right! What does being a priest have to do with dying?!”
“…Enough. Die.”
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
Genevia shook her head wildly to avoid the hand trying to force the bead into her mouth.
Then—
A familiar voice rang out from somewhere.
And then—
Crack!!!
“…?!”
Jerome—who had been standing before her like a grim reaper—rolled his eyes back and collapsed to the side.
Thud.
“…???”
As Genevia sat there in stunned confusion, a familiar figure appeared before her.
“Hey, you okay?”
It was Rin.
Clicking my tongue as I looked at Genevia tied up like a bundle, I said,
“Seriously, how do you keep ending up like this?”
“Hey, Genevia?”
She looked completely out of it.
I glanced down at the guy collapsed at my feet and the black bead that had rolled off nearby.
‘That’s… the same thing those assassins sent by the Grand Duchess had before.’
They had been about to shove that deadly poison into the heroine’s mouth.
She could’ve been killed off just like that.
‘…I’m seriously starting to question the genre of this world.’
I swallowed.
Then, remembering Sion’s condition, I quickly asked,
“Anyway—you look okay. Can you move?”
Genevia nodded.
“Then get up. We need to go back to the annex right now.”
“…Back to the annex?”
She lowered her head and muttered.
Then suddenly, her whole body began trembling.
Startled, I asked,
“What’s wrong with you?”
Worried she might’ve ingested even a little poison, I quickly leaned in to check her face—
And froze.
“Ugh… sob…!”
Genevia was crying—tears and snot streaming down her face.
