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

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

A loud bang surged through the area. The knight's body toppled forward akin to a cannonball, reaching point blank distance faster than the air whipping past me.

His swung fist tore through the air.

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.

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