Episode 28
The comment fairies’ guesses about the behavior of those around me are surprisingly accurate.
Sure, sometimes they interpret things wrong—like calling Jeff handsome—but they’re never completely off-base.
‘Should I have just lost on purpose?’
Honestly, Damien might’ve let it go after losing once.
‘But I beat him twice without even realizing it…’
└ [LOL the young master got smacked with impact]
└ [Rose killed him twice 😭]
Well, I didn’t actually kill him… But this is the Duke’s mansion, after all.
If an outsider had hit young Gerold at Count Tortto’s estate, they’d be arrested and beaten up on the spot.
Even a count’s family cherishes their heir dearly—so imagine how fiercely one of the few duchies in the empire would protect theirs.
The grim expressions of the knights patrolling outside filled me with a sense of dread.
“Seiji, you’re scaring Rose.”
“Hmph. What, did I say anything wrong? One time I was just dropping off some laundry and ran into a knight who suddenly yelled at me! It scared me half to death.”
According to the maids, the knights are basically in a permanent state of anger.
And apparently, it’s not just toward the maids—Seiji added this story too:
“Don’t you remember? Young Master Damien once wandered into the training yard during the knights’ drills and came out with scraped knees and elbows. You really can’t expect them to be careful.”
“He got hurt?”
“Yeah. How could they let the young master get injured under the Duke’s very roof?”
“I’m sure they didn’t mean to.”
The fact that even Nella didn’t deny it and just tried to defend them meant the rumor was probably true.
‘Even when he was older, the little duke always had scratches and bruises.’
└ [Was he just clumsy even when he grew up?]
└ [Stop calling him clumsy, you’re hurting the feelings of us fellow noobs 😭]
You say not to, but then you go and say worse stuff…
Anyway, there seemed to be a reason why the son of Duke Valent, once the Imperial Knight Commander, was… let’s say, not great with a sword.
‘And the worst part is, he doesn’t even realize it.’
For a warrior, knowing your own limits is more important than judging your opponent’s strength.
But Damien had zero self-awareness in that area.
‘Well, he’s still young, so it’s fine for now.’
But what if that lack of awareness continued into adulthood—like the comment fairies said—and that’s why he was always injured?
I was lost in thought and fell silent, so Nella gently patted me.
“You don’t have to be so scared. All the knights here are honorable men who protect the empire.”
“…Yes.”
“As long as Rose doesn’t do anything bad to the knights or the young master, you won’t be in trouble.”
“…”
└ [Pretty sure it’s already too late for that]
└ [We need the god of jellyfish back. Rose needs to awaken her Saint powers and run away to a temple]
└ [Or just go full assassin and wipe everyone out]
The comment fairies started recommending absurd solutions again.
‘I’ll just do what I can until the end!’
└ [You mean… assassinate him?]
No! I meant figuring out a way to stay here!
Not just for my own safety, but for the sake of our pitiful little duke as well.
* * *
Damien didn’t come looking for me the next day, either.
Not that he was calmly attending his lessons with the tutor.
“He’s in the training yard?”
“Yeah. You’re not with him today?”
One of the servants who must’ve noticed I’d been sticking with Damien for the past two days told me where he was.
└ [Why are they casually telling the “assassin” her target’s location?]
Some comment fairies had started rooting for me to go full assassin, but I ignored them.
“What’s he doing there?”
“Training? He’s always been practicing swordsmanship, but today he said there’s someone he wants to beat. That he wants to reclaim his pride…”
└ [Oh dang, he’s out for revenge 😨]
└ [If Rose beats him again, does she get promoted to captain of the knights?]
└ [Let’s just make her Damien’s first loyal minion lol]
└ [Why is everyone so mean to Damien 😭🤣]
Yesterday, I thought he might sic the knights on me. But it seems he’s decided to settle it personally.
‘That means I’ll probably have to spar with him again at least once.’
But what if I win again? I might get kicked out for offending the little duke.
If I lose? He might just say there’s no point in keeping me around and throw me out.
If winning or losing are both risky, then there’s only one option.
“Coachman Grandpa!”
I found my target near the stables.
The one who defied the Duke’s wishes and brought me here—his former mentor!
His name was Benjamin Herilton. I had heard the name Herilton before.
‘Not because of their noble status, but because of the famous tea they distributed.’
A modest baron family with little political involvement.
Benjamin had passed on his title to his children and seemed to be enjoying retirement here.
When I ran up to him, he smiled gently and turned toward me.
“I have a request! Please teach me swordsmanship!”
└ [Is she really going down the knight route?]
└ [Wait, isn’t she five years old??]
Sure, he’s overqualified to teach a five-year-old, but I had no one else to ask!
At my request, he made a mock-surprised face and then tapped various parts of his arms and legs as if to mime something.
I wasn’t hired here as a translator, but thankfully I could still understand.
“You’re saying it’s dangerous?”
He nodded.
“But I think I’m going to end up sparring with Young Master Damien.”
He tilted his head as if asking why, so I explained the situation.
When I mentioned I had beaten Damien, even Grandpa Benjamin looked a little troubled.
Of course—an ex-war hero’s son shouldn’t be losing to a five-year-old…
“So! I just need to learn enough to land one hit!”
I wasn’t asking to become a sword prodigy. I just wanted to land a single clean strike on young Damien.
Benjamin thought for a moment, then came back from the stable with something in his hand—a long wooden stick, just the right thickness for a child to grip.
‘A practice sword substitute!’
He also picked up a similar stick for himself.
Though he always had a gentle smile, the moment he held a weapon—even a shabby one—his gaze grew sharp.
‘I didn’t realize it before, but he is the Duke’s former mentor.’
Still, I wasn’t backing down. I never planned to in the first place.
Compared to the disdain I endured at the Count Tortto estate, this was nothing.
I looked him straight in the eye and tightened my grip.
“I’ll be in your care, Master!”
* * *
For the next few days, Damien and I both spent our time training in swordsmanship.
└ [Did the tutor get fired?]
└ [OMG I forgot about him 😂]
└ [He’s probably still crying somewhere 😭]
Graduated top of the academy and got hired by a duke’s house—a brilliant mind.
On day one of Damien’s absence, he sat in the garden in a daze.
On day two, he began packing his things.
By day three, he started saying goodbye to the staff one by one.
└ [Ultimate loser of the sword fight = tutor]
└ [Did Rose just assassinate the tutor’s social status?]
└ [Please stop bullying the poor tutor 😭]
Wait—how is Damien skipping lessons my fault…?
He didn’t seem all that into studying even before he stopped showing up.
Anyway, what I’m doing now is ultimately for his own good, too.
└ [Honestly, better to help him find a new path anyway]
As the comment fairies mourned the tutor’s fate, the moment arrived.
“Rose.”
“Young Master Damien.”
“I… I challenge you to a rematch!”
└ [Why so dramatic? 😂]
When I saw him after a few days, Damien looked a little rough around the edges.
Even though the staff must’ve prepared fresh clothes every morning, he looked like this, so he must’ve come straight from the training yard.
‘He must’ve worked hard for this.’
After all, we have a three-year age gap. For kids, that’s huge.
If he really focused and trained hard, he could have improved a lot in just a few days.
‘Please, just let me land one clean hit like Master taught me!’
With that hope in mind, we returned to the private training grounds.
“This time, I’ll show you what I’m really capable of. Here I come!”
With his battle cry, we pointed our toy swords at each other again—
And then flop.
“…?”
└ [Again? 😵💫]
You said you’d been training for days…
└ [Maybe all he learned was how to fall dramatically 😂]
└ [At this point, maybe the knights are the real problem?]
└ [Just go back to class, Damien…]
I was a bit flustered, but now was the perfect time for the line I’d prepared.
└ [“You’re a noob!”]
No, not that! I’m going with the carrot-and-stick method here.
“What I just did wasn’t even real swordsmanship. Your skills are way better than mine, Damien.”
“But…!”
“Then why do you think you can’t win?”
└ [Oof. Existential-question type burns are the worst]
I didn’t ask because I wanted an answer.
“Because…”
Because I had something to say to him.
“It’s because you don’t study.”
“……!”
