The blood splattered in all directions, like a scene from a movie.

I learned for the first time today that when someone’s neck was separated from the body, blood splattered like that. I stared in disbelief as the body of the new Count of Bilbao writhed and collapsed, only to turn my head belatedly as chills ran down my spine.

‘…I’m sure I’m going to have nightmares today.’

Not only that I’ve seen so much blood and corpses, but I’m also a coward.

Dimitri severed the enemy commander’s neck and shook the blood off his sword with a swift swing.

As he strode away with a leisurely gait as if his work had been completed, at the same time, the knights who had been fighting a bit away from him filled the gap he had left. Still, it was clear that there was no more shuddering battle, except to hold the demoralized enemy at bay so that they couldn’t escape.

Dimitri seemed as if he had just finished a refreshing workout, though what dripped from his hair and clothes wasn’t sweat but rather blood.

He gave orders to the knights.

“Don’t miss a single one.”

After those words, he glanced at the Cayetana and the elders. Even though she was still standing upright and glaring at Dimitri, Cayetana’s body was trembling.

Dimitri smiled as if he was very excited about what was to come.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I have no intention of killing you right now.”

His voice was uncharacteristically soft and kind, making it even more unsettling.

Cayetana’s legs gave way as though she had foreseen her own future, and she sank down and collapsed. She closed her eyes tightly as if acknowledging her end. In the meanwhile, Dimitri approached me with leisurely steps as if he had just taken a casual stroll.

“Rowaine.”

He called me as usual.

However, whether it was due to witnessing him kill people so casually just moments ago or perhaps because he was covered in blood that made my skin crawl just looking at him — I couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily.

Perhaps it was because there was a different light in his eyes than I had ever seen before.

Maybe I might be overly fearful and let my imagination run wild, but watching him walking towards me from a distance felt like a scene from a horror movie. It was a scene where the protagonist’s colleague approached with an eerily submerged sound, accompanied by an unexpectedly suspicious smile.

There was a strange madness in his gaze.

“Dimitri…”

Subconsciously, my hands became tense. Only then did I realize that I had been holding the axe I had for self-defense all this time.

It was a moment when I was so startled that I was about to throw it away…

“Aaahhhhhhhh! Die!”

A voice filled with malice echoed loudly in the hall.

Before I knew it, Count Schdental had suddenly slipped between Dimitri and me.

He, who should have been tied with a rope, now held up the knife that Dimitri had thrown at him earlier, urging him to cut fingers. Apparently, in the chaotic frenzy, it seemed like with nobody retrieving the throwing knife amidst the confusion, the Count had taken the opportunity to cut his own ropes and was now watching for a chance.

Faster than Dimitri could raise the sword he had let down, Count Schdental thrust the knife into his chest.

Puk!

“Dimitri!”

Everything seemed to slow down as if in slow motion. As Dimitri’s body leaned forward slightly, the blood-soaked sword slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor. At the same time, Count Schdental pulled out the knife he had stabbed Dimitri with and raised it high once again.

Having witnessed that, my senses were thrown into disarray.

As though my perception was distorted, it felt like all sound had been erased, and I could hear Dimitri’s breathing very loudly in the distance.

No, was I hearing his breathing, or was it my own?

Or could it be that the screams I heard somewhere were coming from my own mouth?

No, such distinctions seemed irrelevant as Count Schdental was once again trying to plunge the sword into Dimitri’s heart. So with all my might, I brought the axe raised above my head down, aiming for the Count’s shoulder.

“Eeekkk!”

“Aaaakkkk!”

Although the axe didn’t land exactly where I had expected it to, it nevertheless inflicted a significant wound on Count Schdental’s body. The unpleasant sensation of hot, foul-smelling liquid splashing into his face sent him sprawling across the floor.

“Dimitri! Dimitri! Come to your senses!”

I wiped the blood splattered on my face haphazardly and supported Dimitri, who had bowed his head down.

“I’ll heal you, so just hang in there!”

I reached out to him, but he caught my outstretched hand and held it.

“Not here.”

“What are you talking about?!”

Blood was flowing profusely from his wounds.

“Hurry…!”

As my voice was shaking with fear, my lips were quivering from sobbing, and my pronunciation was muffled. I was so worried about what would happen if he died that my vision was blurred by tears.

Still, even in such a moment, Dimitri was adamant.

“Hide your abilities.”

Then, he groaned with a furrowed expression.

“Is that more important than your life right now?”

Neither able to do this nor that, I sobbed, torn between conflicting emotions of worry and anxiety.

All of a sudden, his breath came close to my ear.

“You really confuse me, you know. What is the meaning of these tears now? Could it be just another form of kindness?”

With those words, Hyle took him away from me.

“I’ll support you, Madam Rowaine!”

“Ah…!”

“Hey! Prepare the carriage! Get on the horse and go first, and have the doctor on standby!”

After giving the orders quickly, he entrusted the cleanup to the knight commander and placed his master in the carriage. I thought Dimitri wouldn’t stop me if we were in an enclosed space where no one was watching, so naturally, I tried to get in the carriage with him.

However, Hyle stopped me.

“Madam Rowaine, please go with Grand Madam Rosanne.”

“Wa, wait just a moment!”

Before I could grab hold of him, the door closed in front of me and the carriage swiftly departed.

I stood there in bewilderment.

‘…Why?’

Why did he leave me behind? I was certain that Hyle knew about my abilities.

I shouted at the departing carriage.

“You should take me, you idiots!”

It felt like I had eaten a hundred sweet potatoes*.
[ T/N: It’s a figurative expression to convey the feeling of frustration, since you normally feel stuffy or suffocated if you eat a lot of sweet potatoes at once without anything to drink. ]

Hyle, who pushed Rowaine out and closed the door, turned around and looked at Dimitri. There was no trace of concern or urgency in his gaze. There was only an arrogant frown as if he didn’t understand.

“It’s a perverse hobby of yours. Why did you intentionally get hurt?”

“….”

When Dimitri, with his face hidden in the collar of his clothes, showed no sign of movement, Hyle tugged on his clothes a little roughly.

“If you continue like this, it will get infected. Take it off. What if you catch a disease from someone else’s blood entering your system?”

After saying that, he narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously.

“Are you sure you’re hurt?”

“I am.”

Only then did Dimitri, with a slightly aggrieved expression, take off his clothes to reveal his wounds.

Moments after, Hyle assessed the depth of the wound and shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression as he opened his mouth.

“I think it will get better after a good night’s sleep.”

In the first place, the knife Dimitri threw at Count Schdental was a small one with a blade that wasn’t very long. So, even though he wasn’t wearing any armor, it wasn’t at all easy to pierce a human’s ribs with that small knife. In addition, Dimitri even had time to pull his upper body back slightly the moment he was stabbed.

As a result, Count Schdental’s knife was stopped before it could reach his ribs, barely passing through his thick pectoral muscles. However, when the Count noticed and attempted a second strike, Rowaine vigorously struck him down with an axe.

After rummaging through the carriage, Hyle found the first aid kit and promptly poured disinfectant over his master’s wounds.

Dimitri made a groaning sound.

“Are you hurting? Then, why didn’t you ask Madam Rowaine to come along for treatment rather than leaving her behind? No, that old man was moving so sluggishly that you could have easily avoided him before he even approached you.”

“….”

“What is it? Do you have some ingenious plan that I don’t know about? I followed along, thinking that might be the case, but…”

When Count Schdental approached Dimitri to wield his knife, the quick-witted Hyle had noticed his master deliberately discarded his weapon and suspected that he had some other plan in mind.

“Now, tell me. Why are you doing this?”

At the question, Dimitri suddenly chuckled self-deprecatingly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well… just perversity?”

“Yes?”

When Hyle put his hand to his ear again, as if asking Dimitri to repeat himself, like he had misheard something, Dimitri wore a coy expression and sank deep into his chair.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a simple marital dispute.”

“Yes?”

Hyle opened his mouth as if he couldn’t believe it, or rather, as if he didn’t want to believe it.

“What kind of marital dispute is handled in such a harsh manner…”

“The look in your eyes is disrespectful.”

After he coldly ordered his aide, who was looking at him like he was a madman, to face the wall, Dimitri crossed his arms and scoffed to himself.

His mind was filled entirely with thoughts of Rowaine.

‘She looks sad because of me.’

It was a mischievous sentiment.

He wanted her to feel sad and distressed because of him.

He hoped her mind would be filled with himself, just like he was thinking about her now. If she worried and worried again, maybe his presence would appear in her heart again. Perhaps, by imagining him disappearing while trembling with anxiety, she might realize how important he was.

And maybe her earnest feelings for him might emerge.

He sincerely hoped so.

 
—