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Chapter 219: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (12)

But it wasn't enough.

With a scant lean of my upper torso, I wrapped my hand around the back of his fist that couldn't even graze me.

All done in the moment it took for him to utter a startled cry.

However, that single cry soon became his last act of defiance.

The knight got dusted, absorbing the full impact of my throw as his body bounced off the ground.

Agape in disbelief, his eyes gave away his agony. Incapable of even a coherent scream, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Two more knights stepped forward by rushing toward me.

It seemed they had finally realised that they couldn't face me unarmed. They attempted to subdue me with their swords still in their scabbard.

However, close combat using weapons was my specialty.

My scabbard, which I thrust out like lightning, wedged itself between their crossed swords, blocking their coordinated attack as smoothly as a pebble jamming gears.

In the spur of the moment, I drew my own blade from its scabbard.

Any swordsman's nerves would tighten up when faced against a real sword.

Such an effect had a greater impact on them when they realised they couldn't respond in time. Fear flooded the knights' eyes. A single swing from me can sever their necks.

Of course, I wasn't going to do that.

Seizing the moment of their panic, I kicked my scabbard up from where it was caught between their crossed swords.

Their swords were simultaneously disarmed. Acting swiftly, I forcefully plunged the blunt end of my sword hilt into one knight's neck.

Whack, the sound came from the action as the sword hilt got slammed, converting my strength into a crushing impact.

This knight's focus wavered, and before long, his stance began to falter.

"Th-This bastard!"

Uttering a desperate shout, the final standing knight brought his sword down with force.

What he overlooked was that I too had a sword in hand.

I wasn't an easy opponent to simply strike down.

Clang, my blade and his scabbard collided, sending sparks into the air. Around that time, my scabbard, which had been spinning in the sky, began to fall.

I caught the scabbard.

As the sword strike approached me once more, I blocked it with my real sword and then, spinning into his proximity, I whipped the scabbard around.

With a solid thump, the scabbard hit the guy right in the temple.

It didn't take long for him to collapse.

The sound of two knights collapsing in rapid succession was like a symphony to my ears. Whether my skill was off the charts, the knights seated nearby gawked in disbelief.

Of course, they wouldn't have known.

Only Mitram knew that I had reached the level of an expert.

And that Dark Priest was nowhere to be found now.

It was impossible for my real skills to have been disclosed.

I was able to easily subdue the knights by exploiting this element of surprise.

"Wh-What kind of third-year academy student..."

Ignoring the question I'd heard all too often lately, I walked away.

Now, there was no one left between Senior Elsie and me.

Only one knight who had missed grabbing my shoulder had come back to his senses.

"This is dishonourable, Lord Percus!"

Paying him no heed, I gently stroked Senior Elsie's head, who was looking up at me with teary eyes.

It was a reward after a long time.

"Are you okay, Senior Elsie?"

"...Uh!"

Senior Elsie couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. She pressed down on her hat, gripping the brim as if wringing it.

Was she so reluctant to be engaged?

Her fiancé was said to be a young and promising gentleman from a prestigious family, but Senior Elsie's tastes were indeed unique.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"S-Surely... sob, y-you didn't... snif, want to go on a date..."

"Of course, it was just a joke."

Indeed, it wasn't a joke at that moment, but swept up by the mood, I chose not to speak the truth.

Instead, I ended up revealing even the sincere feelings that I had been trying to hide.

"Why wouldn't I want to go on a date with Senior Elsie? Especially when you came dressed up so prettily."

When I said that with a bitter smile, Senior Elsie eventually burst into tears.

It seemed her emotional wounds were that deep.

After all, for a woman to muster the courage to propose, only to be met with such a blunt rejection, it was understandable for her to feel that way.

Because, Senior Elsie too, was a woman.

The sight of Senior Elsie shedding tears was exceptionally lovely. I comforted her with a soft smile.

Who could it be, the jerk who made this cute girl cry?

Internally clicking my tongue, I turned away to see that there was still one knight protesting loudly.

"I shall formally complain to the Percus family! How can an unrelated outsider interfere with the affairs of the Rinella family..."

"I am related."

However, his outcry was immediately silenced by my calm response.

The knight looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

'Related, you?'

His gaze was filled with blatant disbelief, so I gave a wry smile and gently pulled Senior Elsie into an embrace.

As Senior Elsie went "uh," her head ended up buried in my chest.

"...Senior Elsie and I are in a 'special relationship'."

It was nothing more than a last resort.

There existed an unwritten rule among noble families, regardless of empire or kingdom.

'Do not interfere in another family's affairs.'

This rule, steeped in tradition, was hard to ignore.

Yet now, despite that implicit rule, I was standing in the way of Senior Elsie's path to marriage.

There was no way to justify this through conventional means.

Thus the means to extricate oneself were limited. So, the only option left was to make a sacrifice.

And what I sacrificed was– ‘the truth’.

"S-Special relationship...?"

The knight's voice shook as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Before long, his complexion had turned pale. Desperation was evident in his gaze toward Elsie.

It was a stare filled with the hope that she would disclaim it.

The conditions of engagement set forth by noble families invariably included the obligation of chastity.

If there was a lover involved, additional negotiations were essential. Hence, taking Senior Elsie away right then was out of the question.

What I had said was a lie from the start. The Rinella family couldn't have known about Senior Elsie's 'lover' beforehand.

Soon, the audience's reception cleaved into two different states, like oil and water.

In contrast to the knights who were filled with despair, the students who had been watching the events unfold erupted into cheers and whistles.

The sound of applause that poured down spoke for their feelings.

Specifically, a small commotion ensued as a few girls screamed.

Love stories traditionally have a wide appeal, regardless of age or gender.

The events of today were bound to spread throughout the academy soon enough. It was a pity that many students had gone home for the holidays, but still, it was a success.

The rate at which rumours spread among the nobles was astonishing.

With the increasing romanticism of my and Senior Elsie's love story, Count Rinella would find himself needing to be more vigilant.

He could probably handle being seen as a cold-hearted villain for tearing apart two lovers.

But the real issue here was the fact that Senior Elsie and I were in a passionate love affair.

She was a noble lady already in love with another man; logically, there was no reason for a noble family to pay a high price to bring her in.

It was a clear miscalculation.

Count Rinella would have to rack his brains for a while to secure a new marriage arrangement. Yet, the uncertainty of finding a suitable match remained.

However, my immediate concern was Senior Elsie.

The difficulties Count Rinella would face were also issues that Senior Elsie would have to confront.

If Senior Elsie found someone she loved later, today's incident might continue to haunt her.

Explaining the situation and clearing up the misunderstanding would be ideal.

In the end, the choice would have to be left to Senior Elsie.

Every gaze was trained on Senior Elsie's mouth. While the emotions displayed in their eyes differed, they were all eagerly anticipating Senior Elsie's answer.

So was I.

Please, Senior Elsie, just catch on.

However, Senior Elsie, who was in my arms, was frozen as if time had stopped.

It took a long while before she began to respond.

Her face gradually reddened, until they were so rosy that I half-expected steam to erupt.

Senior Elsie began to stammer, uttering incomprehensible words.

"M-M-Me?! I, I mean... so, so that means? H-How could that be? H-Huh?"

Just listening made it painfully clear that Senior Elsie was not in her right mind.

The corners of my mouth, which had been wearing a proud smile, trembled.

I had already been embarrassed enough; hopefully, the plan wouldn't fall apart now.

As if answering my desperate wish, Senior Elsie suddenly exclaimed.

"...Ah, ack! Th-That's right!"

So you finally caught on, Senior Elsie.

I was so moved that I almost cried. Senior Elsie, who now had a triumphant look in my arms, then confidently addressed the Rinella family knight.

"Right, 'special relationship'."

Thump, the knight collapsed to his knees, unable to bear the harsh reality.

There was a look of deep despair in his eyes as he stared blankly at the ground.

Meanwhile, the crowd outside the dormitory responded with even louder cheers. A bitter smile crossed my lips.

Right, it was a necessary move to protect Senior Elsie.

Thinking so, I was about to sigh in relief when suddenly,

"I, I am…. Serving Lord Ian as my master!"

A brief silence followed after such a bold declaration.

The leader of the knights, who had been gazing despondently at the ground, slowly raised his head. In his eyes, there was an emotion flickering beyond mere shock and fear.

It was disbelief.

The onlookers felt the same way.

Dozens of eyes widened in shock. It was a statement beyond anyone's imagination.

Although Senior Elsie had called me 'Master' before, back then, I immediately ran away with Senior Elsie, so rumours didn’t spread.

Everyone had dismissed it as a ridiculous hallucination, thinking there was no way Senior Elsie would say such a thing.

But now, the situation was different.

With everyone's attention on us, Senior Elsie had boldly made her declaration.

That Ian Percus was Elsie Rinella's Master.

Even I was left gaping, repeatedly opening and closing my mouth, at a loss for words.

My mind went blank.

Senior Elsie, seeing no one responding, fidgeted as if she had done something wrong.

In her panic, she awkwardly rubbed her head against my chest to prove her point.

And then, uttered another word.

"...Woof woof?"

It was over.

I facepalmed, knowing full well that Senior Elsie's declaration was bound to spread like wildfire.

And that prediction was soon proven right.

Because this incident even reached the ears of the Saintess I visited /genesisforsaken