Chapter 109
Somerset bit her lip, frustration evident.
“Why am I feeling this way?” she thought.
At that moment, Dedrick spoke coldly, “Stay in the Grand Duchy. It’ll make you suffer.”
“Why should I listen to you?” he retorted.
“Don’t, then.” Dedrick stood up. “I’m just warning you.”
His piercing blue eyes drew closer to Somerset. he recoiled but was blocked by the sofa.
“Oh, and by the way,” he added, “let’s have a sparring match tomorrow. Don’t be late to the Black Hawk training ground in the morning.”
“What if I don’t show up?” he challenged, forcing a smirk.
“You will,” he replied coldly, turning away.
As the door closed, Somerset screamed, throwing a bottle.
“Argh! That jerk!”
No matter how much he screamed or broke things, his anger wouldn’t subside.
***
Dedrick was at the training ground at dawn, sparring with the Black Hawk knights using real swords.
“Swordmasters truly are on another level,” I murmured in awe.
Despite the intense training, he showed no signs of fatigue.
Novembris stared at me intently before asking, “What is emotion?”
“Emotion?”
“I am a root of Yggdrasil. I have no emotions. I’ve never felt them.”
“That’s not true,” I replied. “You’re more honest with your emotions than anyone.”
He looked puzzled.
“You get annoyed, angry, frustrated, disgusted, and disdainful. Those are all emotions.”
“But those are…”
“They’re basic human emotions. But they’re still emotions.”
He blinked, then said, “I see. So what I’ve been feeling are emotions.”
“You didn’t realize?”
“Living in the sanctuary for centuries, I felt nothing. But since you arrived, I’ve been overwhelmed with new feelings.”
“Do these feelings make you want to do something? Express them?”
“When I received the necklace, I felt… elated. Though ‘elated’ might not be the right word.”
“No need to overthink it. It just means you were happy with the gift.”
“Not that I was particularly happy…”
I gave him a knowing look, and he looked away, clearing his throat.
“Are emotions necessary for living? Once you leave, I’ll be alone in the sanctuary. Learning emotions might just make the emptiness worse.”
He hesitated before adding, “And can I live as before, suppressing these emotions?”
I pondered before answering, “Well, Yggdrasil is always with you. And maybe you don’t need to suppress them. If you’re happy, be happy. If you’re sad, be sad. Do you want to live in the human world?”
“No,” he replied firmly.
“Still, you can express everything to me. That’s how you learn.”
“What if I learn the wrong emotions?”
“Like what?”
“Disliking someone, getting irritated…”
“Everyone feels that. Like how I feel about Delani and those two brats.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But actions should be taken carefully. Just because someone annoys you doesn’t mean you can harm them.”
“Then, when is it okay to harm someone?”
“Do you have someone you want to harm?”
“No.”
“But you’re not supposed to harm humans, right?”
“Yes. If I do, Yggdrasil might erase me or purify me back into a root.”
“What happens after purification?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why the sudden interest in emotions?”
“Watching you and him made me curious.”
Seeing his unresolved expression, I offered, “After watching Didi today, want to hang out?”
He surprised me by asking, “What will we do?”
“Huh?”
“You said we’d hang out. Was that a lie?”
“No, but it’s unexpected.”
“I just thought maybe Yggdrasil wanted me to learn something from you.”
“Because I’m so cute?” I joked, making a flower pose.
He shrugged, “No. Perhaps to learn something from you.”
“Did you eat something weird this morning?”
“I don’t need to eat, as you know.”
“Right…”
“Then let’s have dinner somewhere nice. Your treat.”
“Sure.”
His easy agreement made me suspicious.
Just then, we heard shouting.
“Let go! I said I’ll go on my own!”
Somerset, disheveled and soaked, was being dragged out.
“Didn’t wake up, so they probably splashed water on him,” I commented.
Seeing Dedrick, Somerset threatened, “Do you know how many people saw you drag me here? If you hit me…”
“They’ll still badmouth you,” Dedrick interrupted.
He gestured, and a Black Hawk knight threw Somerset before him, placing a real sword beside him.
“Even if I do this, I’m justified.”
“If I get hurt…”
“People will think you deserved it.”
“What?”
“You’ve mistreated so many servants. Do you think anyone would worry about you?”
Somerset’s eyes wavered.
“Everyone would say you had it coming.”
As Somerset trembled, Dedrick pointed his sword at his throat.
“Pick up the sword. Unless you want to die like this.”
Dedrick then switched to a wooden sword and attacked.
Caught off guard, Somerset grabbed the real sword and rolled away.
“He dodged?” I remarked.
“Dedrick allowed it,” Novembris explained.
As Somerset stood and took a stance, Dedrick attacked relentlessly, striking him with the wooden sword.
The swift movements were hard to follow, but the sound of hits confirmed Somerset was being thoroughly beaten.
“Disgraceful,” Novembris commented.
“Didi suffered more. Honestly, it’s satisfying. He used to beat Didi with a wooden sword embedded with iron. He deserves this.”
I defended Dedrick passionately.
Eventually, Somerset collapsed, shouting, “Stop! Stop it!”
