* * *
I deliberately changed direction to align with the sword he raised, and—
Clang—!
I swung my sword with full force.
“Kugh!”
The two swords clashed hard, but it couldn’t be called a successful block.
His sword was lifted upward without any resistance, following the direction I led it.
Consequently, his upper body became completely exposed.
I powerfully struck his defenseless chest.
Thwack—
“Keo-heok!”
If this had been a sharp, keen-edged sword, he would have lost his life several times over.
Unable to withstand the strong impact, Neser staggered and then simply collapsed onto the ground.
The one who falls loses.
The match was decisively over.
The surrounding air froze heavily.
No one dared to open their mouths.
Clap, clap, clap—
Among them, only one person, Klen, seemed oblivious to the bleak atmosphere.
He added a bright smile and clapped his hands loudly.
He then raised his hands high and waved them like a child.
He was definitely doing this on purpose.
“Ah, Adrian-nim is the winner!”
A knight, jolted back to his senses by the sound, raised his hand and declared my victory.
“She, she really… won?”
“No, Sir Neser lost?!”
“I, I knew this would happen!”
“After all, she is the master of Levatein.”
“But…”
At that, the surroundings instantly became boisterous.
The word ‘Levatein’ popped up everywhere.
Since they had witnessed it directly, and it wasn’t just a rumor, they couldn’t doubt it even if they wanted to.
Neser also had no reason to purposely lose to me.
Neser, slumped on the ground in front of me, lowered his head and showed no reaction.
I had expected him to be more frustrated or angry.
‘Is the shock too great?’
Surely he hadn’t gone mad.
In any case, he would get up on his own, and the situation seemed good enough.
I glanced at the surroundings and met Klen’s eyes.
“Haah, haah…”
I deliberately let out ragged breaths.
Then, I furrowed my brow as if enduring a wave of pain, and slowly swayed my body.
I strongly planted one foot as if I had momentarily lost my balance, and then held my head with one hand.
Even so, I threw my body onto the ground, giving the impression that I couldn’t hold out any longer.
Even I thought this performance was quite good.
“Adrian?!”
Klen’s previous advice flashed through my mind.
Hadn’t he said my body would visibly stiffen before I collapsed?
Taking his advice to heart, I was prepared to really hit the bare ground this time as I fell.
However, I didn’t feel the anticipated impact.
It was because Klen, who had run over in time, caught me in his arms.
The touch of his hand as he brushed my forehead and cheek was so soft and careful that, for a moment, I almost mistook it for a genuine collapse.
Clang—
The sword that naturally slipped from my grasp struck the ground, making a loud sound in my stead.
Knowing all eyes were on me, it was difficult to maintain my expression.
As if to confirm that, Klen gently turned my face and held me in his embrace.
“I knew this would happen. Hyung-nim, I will take Adrian away.”
“Do you not need to call the Healer?”
“No. She’ll be fine after some rest. She tends to collapse like this when she overexerts herself.”
“……”
Klen subtly implied that this was a routine occurrence and skillfully carried me on his back.
I tried my best to go limp, but I couldn’t tell if I truly looked like I had fainted.
“Then, please excuse us.”
He quickly left the drill ground before my acting could feel unnatural.
Thanks to that, I could relax and naturally slump onto his back.
The warm body temperature, the gentle swaying sensation, and the languor that follows moderate exercise enveloped my entire body.
My closed eyelids felt heavy.
And all of it felt pleasant.
Since I had to pretend to have collapsed anyway, it might be better to just sleep.
When the commotion of the drill ground had somewhat faded, I spoke without changing my position.
“Did I overdo it?”
“It’s fine.”
Through the slight tremor in his back, I could tell he was smiling now.
Was he reminiscing about the spar a moment ago?
“You only showed them that you didn’t become the master of Levatein by luck, didn’t you? In fact, you could have shown them even more. No one will doubt that you are the owner of that sword now.”
“Hmm…”
“And he won’t be rude to you anymore.”
“Do you think so?”
“It will be different from me constantly cautioning him. Though he probably won’t suddenly treat you warmly.”
“……”
Come to think of it, thanks to Klen speaking up, his disrespectful attitude had been somewhat curbed.
So, what kind of expression would he show after being utterly defeated in a match?
“You can sleep if you’re tired.”
Since my eyes were closed, my ears picked up all sounds keenly.
His gently flowing tone felt slightly higher than usual.
“Klen, you seem to be in a good mood.”
“I’m proud that my wife is strong.”
That wasn’t a joke.
The cold aura should be strongly emanating from him now that he’d stopped acting, but there was no sign of coldness at all.
Moreover, he kept smiling as if he were truly enjoying himself.
“Adrian-nim?! Are you alright!”
“Young Master! What in the world happened at the drill ground?”
“You always lose consciousness when you go to the drill ground, don’t you!”
Was that so? I don’t think it always happened.
“Hahahaha.”
“Is this a time for laughter?!”
As soon as we returned to the room, a torrent of scolding poured down on us.
No, since I was pretending to be unconscious, all the scolding was directed at Klen.
He knew perfectly well that he was provoking Linda’s anger, yet he merely laughed without offering any excuses.
“Are you even listening to us?!”
“Of course, I am listening.”
A response mixed with laughter was something no one could trust.
But I couldn’t smile.
No, no one would be smiling in this situation.
A sigh rose to my throat and slowly dispersed.
“Klen…”
His gaze dropped down, responding to my call.
His cold-laden face softened slightly, but I frowned instead.
“Can you please explain why I am banned from going out again?”
A bolt from the blue struck me after the refreshing spar was over.
I was immediately banned from going out.
Linda, the head maid, had boldly announced it right in front of me as I pretended to have just regained consciousness.
‘From now on, I couldn’t take a single step outside the room.’
Since then, I didn’t know where my hazy mind had wandered.
Only doubt and confusion enveloped me.
“You sparred with a weak body and collapsed, so isn’t it a natural consequence?”
“……”
His answer was light, as if it wasn’t even worth asking.
Was that a natural consequence?
That couldn’t be right. I immediately countered.
“It’s different from last time, isn’t it? And you know my condition.”
“Ah, this time it’s not because of me; Linda is simply being proactive.”
“…Yes?”
I tilted my head.
* * *
