Chapter 4
Each time Mia interrupted his words, Leonardâs face grew redder. If you looked down just slightly, you could see his tightly clenched fists trembling.
âItâs working better than I expected. If I push just a bit more, he might actually hit me.â
Mia suppressed the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Seeing how strongly Leonard reacted to just a mention of his father, she figured either the Marquis had been terribly strict with him, or perhaps heâd been an unusually kind and affectionate father.
âJudging from the rumors, itâs probably the former.â
As Leonard stammered and tried to argue, Mia grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward her. He was so flustered he couldnât even find words to snap back, and she seized the moment to ask:
âLeonard. Even someone like you must feel some respect for his father, right?â
âWhat kind of crap are you spewing! Is that all youâve got now that your skills canât back you up? Running your mouth?â
Mia curled her finger, beckoning him closer. Her commanding gesture was so natural that Leonard instinctively took a step forward before realizing heâd made a mistake.
Unfortunately for him, Mia was faster than he was at backing off.
In a voice that didnât bother hiding her amusement, Mia whispered something to Leonard.
He froze for a long moment as he processed her words.
âYou son of a bitch! Who do you think youâre dragging into this?!â
His patience finally snapped. Leonard grabbed Mia by the collar.
Her feet dangled above the ground, not touching it. But the expression on her face was so calm and relaxed that, even with a large man threatening a much smaller woman, the scene didnât feel threatening at all.
Apparently enraged by her composed face, Leonard raised a fist.
ââŠHuh?â
His punch, thrown with full force, missed completely. The next moment, the strength drained from the hand gripping Mia, and with a thud, Leonard lost his balance and fell to the ground. A muddy footprint was stamped clearly on his pristine white uniform.
It all happened before he could even grasp what was going on.
With the sound of a fluttering cape, Mia landed lightly on the ground. The face sheâd been looking up at was now beneath her feet.
That arrogant expression was now twisted in pain. Mia let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
âFor a vice-commander, your level of training is pathetic. How can you expect to fight a proper war like this? Iâll be reporting this to the commander.â
Her mocking tone pierced Leonardâs ears.
âY-You bitch! Donât get cocky just because you dodged one lucky blow!â
Leonard shouted, face red with fury. A strange glint flashed in Miaâs eyes.
Sheâd definitely landed a solid kick, but he was already trying to get upâhis sheer tenacity was at least worth acknowledging. Though whether that stubbornness would do him any good was another matter.
Staggering as he regained balance, Leonard charged at Mia again. She didnât even try to avoid him, which only bruised his pride further.
Whoosh, whoosh. His blind punches tore through the air but never landed. Mia evaded every strike with simple shifts and a few light steps.
She didnât even counterattack. Her stance screamed, âGo ahead, try me,â which only further frayed Leonardâs nerves. Being stopped again and again by such light movement felt like being mocked.
âPfft.â
Seeing his face flush to the point of bursting, Mia couldnât hold back her laughter.
âHow dare youâŠ!â
Clearly humiliated by her mockery, Leonard was fuming. But anger alone achieved nothing. Before he could finish his sentence, Miaâs foot caught him again, and he collapsed onto the dirt. A firm heel then stomped down on his chest. His uniform was soiled for the second time that day.
âYour determination far exceeds your actual ability,â
Mia muttered.
Leonard, trying to escape the humiliating position, grabbed at her ankle and thrashedâbut all it earned him was another hard hit from the toe of her black shoe. Thud. Mia kicked him in the jaw. His head snapped back with a satisfying crack.
Mia was thoroughly enjoying herself. But it was unlikely Leonard, who was being humiliated by someone heâd underestimated, felt the same. Anger began to boil at the corners of his eyes.
âYou fake, without even a shred of divine powerâŠ!â
With a furious roar, a crushing pain exploded in Miaâs side.
âUghâŠ!â
She bent over reflexively. She was no stranger to pain or injury, but this was differentâit wasnât a regular wound.
âHe used divine powerâŠ!â
The realization came too late. Now Mia was the one lying on the ground.
Her mind went blank, making it hard to think. It felt like her entire body was being torn apart.
Ironically, the greatest weakness of the goddessâs chosen hero was divine power. Miaâs body had a particularly severe reaction to attacks using it.
She had learned unorthodox combat through brawling on the battlefield, but when it came to divine power, she could do nothing but take the hitâeven when she saw it coming.
âWhy would the goddess choose someone like you to be her hero?â
She didnât even have the strength to care about the triumphant sneer of the man who had just been under her boot. Every nerve in her body was screaming in pain.
A heavy boot came flying toward her face.
âI have to dodgeâŠâ
But the pain wouldnât fade, making it almost impossible to move beyond a twitch.
Mia curled up desperately.
âStill⊠if I reduce the area he can hit, maybeâŠâ
She just wished this moment would pass quickly. She could afford to take one hit. Leonard wasnât talented in close combat. If she could just endure and wait for an opening, she could shake off the effect of the divine power and take him downâŠ
But the moment she longed for never came.
âFrançois Leonard. Just what is going on here?â
A cold voice rang out behind him just as Leonard was about to strike.
ââŠCommander.â
Etienne was merely standing there. But Leonard immediately fell to his knees in front of him. Judging from the awkward angle of his arm, it didnât seem voluntary. Mia guessed Etienne had used divine power to restrain him.
âYou do realize that undermining discipline is grounds for punishment even in peacetime.â
Leonard didnât answer. Or rather, he couldnât. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the only sound that came out was a beastly growl.
Mia noticed Leonard struggling to move his arm. The strangled sound from his throat and the white light tightening around his shoulder suggested Etienne was behind it again.
âThen do you not know that during wartime, such behavior is subject to immediate execution?â
Etienneâs sharp voice rebuked Leonard. The man looked to be in even greater pain than before, his movements more restricted.
Etienne sneered.
âThereâs no way you didnât know that. So how should I interpret this situation?â
Mia closed her eyes. Even after coming back to the past, she felt utterly powerless.
* * *
The situation ended with Leonard passing out. Since it was merely an attempted assault, immediate execution was realistically off the table. Mia didnât have a strong enough standing in the army, and the Marquis Leonardâs family wasnât weak enough to be crushed without consequences.
Etienne seemed even angrier than Mia, but she hadnât expected him to step in like this, which made it all the more surprising.
âThe position of vice-commander doesnât grant that much authority,â
Mia began, voicing a lingering question. After all, even if he was a superior officer, the difference in rank between a strategist and a vice-commander couldnât be that great. So what gave him the nerve to attack the daughter of the Blanchard family? It made no sense.
Etienne sighed and explained.
âHe was a problematic soldier from the very beginning. Strangely enough, every time promotion season came around, heâd quiet down and just barely earn a late promotion. But even after enlisting, he kept causing troubleâmostly with his superiors.â
âSounds like youâre implying I was one of his superiors.â
âYou werenât, but you’re treated as the same rank.â
âHmâŠâ
Mia fell silent at the response, which was delivered as if it were obvious. She couldnât make sense of how this armyâs hierarchy worked at all.
