“Ah~ My beauty is surely the finest among all female knights throughout history. I’m so stunning~”
“Oh, Rachel? So you do recognize your own beauty?”
“I… Never said that.”
Rachel vehemently denied it with a befuddled expression.
There had never been a single moment when she thought her face was remarkable.
“Oh dear, look at this honey-like skin~ Please, don’t strike my face~ If you mar it, I might just kill you~”
“Hmm, Rachel. You’ve had quite the exotic side, haven’t you?”
“I… Have never been like that.”
Rachel firmly rejected the notion with a look of disbelief.
For someone who had distanced herself from femininity throughout her life, those lines felt utterly preposterous and somewhat humiliating.
“My swordsmanship is divine! The only one who can defeat me is me!”
“Indeed, as expected of my knight. A person must always have confidence to succeed. Truly excellent.”
“…I have never reached… divine status.”
Tremble.
Furrowing her brows, Rachel wasn’t a stranger to the fact that confidence could easily morph into arrogance, which is why she walked every path with humility.
“Being a woman doesn’t make me weak! It’s merely the weak world that bows before me! I will never submit-!”
“Ah, so it’s the weak world that’s caused your weakness? That’s quite a statement! I see you in a new light, Rachel.”
“Please…don’t look at me like that.”
Rachel, the usually stoic knight, turned red at such cringeworthy declarations.
For her, whose straightforward character did not align with such cheesy sentiments, those lines were a disgrace.
Her fists were clenched.
At that moment, she felt like smacking her Lord, who read those lines as if in a poetry recital.
Why was he behaving like this? Why was he showing interest in something he had never cared about before?
“With this sword, I will cut through the murky skies to brighten the world. Let dreams and hopes form a mighty mountain for all to climb!”
“Wow- that’s genuinely romantic! I get chills from it. Rachel, didn’t realize you had such an optimistic side?”
“…I am not. I have never enjoyed romance nor been optimistic.”
Tremble, tremble.
She viewed the world as ugly, dirty, and dark.
Therefore, she had persevered, surviving amid all kinds of filth and blood.
Romance was trash, and optimism was sin in her eyes.
Who would twist her beliefs into such pathetic fantasies?
With each repeat of her Lord’s lines, Rachel’s face only turned a deeper shade of red.
And then,
“Oh, this body, crafted by the gods, is simply fantastic, wouldn’t you agree? Hiding such perfection must surely be a sin.”
Glance.
“…D-Don’t look at me like that.”
“Rachel, always covered up, yet you seem really confident about your figure?”
Glance.
“…Why are you looking at me like that, my Lady?”
“Hehe… Humans naturally long for what they cannot possess! I’ve always been jealous of those with gorgeous figures! I’d love to bathe with you one day, Rachel!”
“That… will absolutely never happen.”
Rachel’s face resembled a ripe tomato at this point.
Deep down, she had thought of her figure as feminine, which annoyed her.
To a knight, such a voluptuous body was merely cumbersome.
Grinding her teeth, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Who on earth created such ridiculous fantasies? I want to know the author.”
With these teeth, she would bite them down.
With these fists, she would leave marks on their pitiful existence.
So, as she was determined for revenge, Rachel questioned Ariel.
“Um… It’s not his real name.”
“That’s fine. His pseudonym will do. Someone must know who he truly is.”
“The pen name is Broken 1.”
“Broken…is it?”
Having faced humiliation by someone she had never even met, the only way to relieve her anger was one thing.
To find this person.
And to kill him.
Rachel found another reason to go on living.
“Thanks for having lunch with me! The meal was truly splendid. Now, I’m off to the library~!”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
After hastily finishing their meal in the Great Hall, Ariel headed back to the library, while I went with Rachel to the training grounds, of course, holding onto the book [The Path of the Purple Knight].
“Are you really going to read that book until the end?”
“Why? It’s interesting! As your employer, it’s good for me to learn more about my escort!”
“…That book is merely a self-indulgent piece filled with fantasies.”
“But every good fanfic needs some delusions. Plus, I learned about your hobbies, especially how you enjoyed monster cuisine since childhood, which was a delightful surprise!”
In the fanfic, whenever Rachel wasn’t swinging her sword, she was usually “writing” or “knitting.”
By not denying this, she tacitly acknowledged it.
After all, having come from a rough life, discovering such adorable hobbies in her was quite the shock.
That said, judging by the absence of such hobbies in Elden’s memories, it seemed she had practiced them in secret(?).
How could such detailed information make it into a medieval work where knowledge was precious, unless it was from an obsessed fan crafting this fanfiction?
Of course, that’s what fanfiction entails.
A narrative full of the author’s desires, hence rich with personal hopes and dreams.
Nonexistent novel.
A fanfiction that dances between delusion and reality was on display in the Grand Library of the Duchy, made possible in a medieval era where copyright and human rights were a mere joke, allowing for such stalking fanfic to thrive openly.
Perhaps knowing the life Rachel had led, and how bitter and harsh it had been, the author created a bright and cheerful character in the story, wishing for the Rachel within fiction to cherish and love herself.
As a single reader and one who employed Rachel as her knight, I found this sentiment highly commendable.
Even though I had only read the early chapters, the fierce depiction of how hard Rachel had fought through life, the agonizing pain she endured to overcome her intrinsic fragility, was vividly illustrated.
Despite being awarded the highest honor as the “Purple Knight,” Rachel was deemed unworthy to become a royal knight or the commander of the Grand Ducal guard, simply because she was a woman of lowly birth.
In terms of honor, she deserved to lead a powerful organization rather than serve as a guard for a declining Count’s family.
Unlike Lee Jun-Woo, who had too much to lose and was stuck living in his man cave, Rachel’s life resonated with certain similarities, albeit unfair.
So I vowed to treat her well.
Yet, as we arrived at the training ground and I caught a glimpse of Rachel’s face, excitement laced with sadistic pleasure written all over it, that vow evaporated instantly.
“My lord. Prepare yourself; we shall begin now.”
… Surely, that sinister aura she was radiating was just a figment of my imagination?
Thud, thud, thud.
It appeared that my imagination was off the mark.
Rachel proposed hand-to-hand sparring, claiming that to teach properly, she first needed to gauge my current skill level.
And here I was, helplessly turned into a punching bag.
Fortunately, unlike an immobile punching bag that just gets beaten senseless, I had limbs to defend myself.
What’s more, it turned out my ability to see Deron’s sluggish punches wasn’t a trick of the mind—this body genuinely had great kinetic vision.
I could see.
Rachel’s punches, her moves—they became visible to me, and I could foresee her next actions.
It seemed Elden Raphelion didn’t just enjoy fighting to vent his frustrations; it was his talent and a way to express himself.
Of course, hand-to-hand combat wasn’t Rachel’s specialty; she might have been holding back since this was our first spar. But considering the gap between a UFC champion and a street fighter, merely defending against her strikes was an accomplishment in itself.
Perhaps that’s why,
Rachel’s punch felt heavier, her sadistic glee turned to seriousness.
Matching her intensity, I did my best to engage seriously.
Her practical fighting techniques were vital for my gastronomic journey across this world.
This spar became far more important than any pointless engagement contest.
Whoosh!
In a split second, dozens of exchanges occurred, and then Rachel suddenly paused.
Every part of my body was sore.
It truly was hard to believe a woman could possess such overwhelming power.
“You have excellent natural instincts and a solid foundation,” she remarked.
While panting and gasping for breath made me kneel to stabilize myself, the lack of exercise was evident as my limbs were trembling.
Yeah, I definitely inherited this body’s innate talent, but I clearly needed to build up my endurance and strength.
“Haah- Haah- So… how did I do?”
“Passable. But without endurance, you’ll struggle to unlock your potential. Physical training is necessary, along with developing strength.”
“Got it then…”
Swish!
Just as I attempted to rise, Rachel executed a swift kick that sent me tumbling to the ground.
Was that her way of teaching me to always be prepared for surprises?
Or maybe it was her way of taking out her frustrations stemming from that ridiculous fanfic on me?
I’d guess it leaned toward the latter, but that wasn’t the pressing matter now.
When facing danger, it’s human instinct to search for a way out.
And if escape is impossible, well, minimizing damage is next.
Humans typically despise pain, so when one falls, it’s natural to reach out—just trying to lessen the impact.
The only downside was that my hand ended up landing on Rachel’s chest.
I should be grateful that I didn’t grab it.
I should be thanking my luck for avoiding a worse crisis while trying to prevent an injury.
I… should be happy I didn’t turn into the cliché perverted disciple clutching his instructor’s chest during practice.
Yes… it was definitely better to take this fall.
Thud!
However, as I unexpectedly landed against a soft and squishy surface in my traitorous palm, it was inevitable that my gaze would be met with Rachel’s scornful face staring back at me.
“…Was this indeed your true aim behind our training?”
N-no.
“N-no, that’s not it…”
You kinda knocked me down, didn’t you?
“Shouldn’t have expected any less from you.”
I promise, I’m not that kind of person.
“Scum.”
…
…
…
But I had to admit, they were quite substantial.
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