Chapter 21
I instinctively lowered my body and moved behind the carriage, hiding myself behind the coachman’s seat. From just beside the carriage, in a grassy clearing concealed by trees, I heard voices. I was drawn toward the sound. But what I heard next was completely unexpected.
“You damn wench. I told you today wasn’t going to work.”
…Huh?
…I froze in place, startled by the young boy’s voice. It was unmistakably a child’s—his voice hadn’t even cracked yet. And yet, the malice laced in that voice was more chilling and obsessive than anything I’d heard from an adult.
“I’m sorry… I really wanted to come today… I said I’d wait until you were done with training. But Mother said she wouldn’t let me come unless I went with you…”
Recognizing Mayra’s voice, I frowned and crept closer through the bushes.
“Because of you, what is this? If you were going to get kidnapped, then just stay kidnapped. Why come back and drag me into this mess? The entrance exam for the knight academy is in two years, and I don’t even have time to swing my sword properly. This is such a critical time for me! Whether you’re sold off in the marriage market or trafficked by some human trafficker, it’s the same thing!”
…What the hell is he saying?
I struggled to keep my face from contorting in anger and peeked through the bush. The scene was awful. A boy was glaring fiercely and domineeringly at a girl in front of him. He looked about ten—no, maybe twelve. And the girl standing timidly before him, head bowed, was someone I knew all too well.
Mayra.
She stood there with her head low and her shoulders hunched, clearly cowering in fear.
“I’m sorry, Brother. I didn’t mean to be a bother…”
“I don’t understand why Mother and Father dote on a wretched girl like you. Don’t kid yourself into thinking Father cherishes you. Once you’re seventeen, you’ll just be sold off to a better household—that’s the duty of a noble daughter. Got it?”
“……”
“Father sent you here to make connections with the Duke of Sylkar’s family. You know that already. If you can tie yourself to Albrecht Sylkar or Saldir Sylkar, our family’s fortunes will skyrocket. So today, you should…”
How can such a young boy say such venomous things?
My vision began to burn red. How do I describe this feeling? Like something precious was being toyed with right in front of me.
I had thought Mayra lived happily in a good noble family, just like I did. After all, everything I enjoyed in the Sylkar family was everything I had once desperately longed for while living in the back alleys.
So why did Mayra have to hear such vile words? I couldn’t tolerate it.
My decision was made in an instant. I burst out of the bushes and launched a body blow with all my strength directly at the boy.
“Argh!”
Caleb was flung backward and toppled over like a falling leaf. He didn’t even know how to brace his legs to absorb the impact. A kid like this, who couldn’t even stand properly, dared to lash out with such cruel words?
“Wh-Who are you?!”
“Who do you think?”
I stood up and glared at Caleb. He had jumped in shock the moment I appeared, and when he saw it was me, he awkwardly tried to play it cool. I emphasized again, staring at him.
“Who else in the Duke of Sylkar’s household would body slam you?”
“…Lady Sylkar?”
So, he can use honorifics? I gritted my teeth and glared harder.
“You know how to speak properly, so why the hell were you talking like that?”
“…Th-that was…”
“What was it? ‘Damn wench’?”
As I was glaring at him, Caleb’s expression suddenly turned sharp.
“…What does this have to do with you… I mean, Lady Sylkar? This is a matter of our household. I was merely teaching my younger sister a lesson, as an elder sibling should. Please stay out of it.”
Wow. The nerve of this guy. Even after I told him I had heard everything, Caleb didn’t look the least bit ashamed. He wasn’t remorseful—just slightly awkward. Which meant this situation, this cruelty toward Mayra, was something he had long since justified to himself.
“Stay out of it?”
“Y-yes…”
Even as he stammered, he nodded at me.
“Wow. You’ve really lost it. Okay, fine. Before you go back to your little ‘lesson’… let me ask you one thing.”
“…What?”
“Where the hell did you learn to say ‘damn wench’?”
“W-what are you—gah!”
I lunged forward and punched him straight in the face. Caleb stumbled back, dazed.
– Are you going to use fire?
No. What’s the point of fire against a weakling? Stay out of it.
I firmly told Comet off and coldly stared at the stumbling Caleb.
He had no control over his center of gravity—clearly had no martial arts training. Yet he talked about going to the knight academy? Not in a million years. That only made me angrier. How could someone this weak torment Mayra so viciously?
“You’ve really lost it. Just because you have a mouth doesn’t mean you get to say anything you want. You call this education? This is violence, you little punk.”
I grabbed the collapsed Caleb by the collar and hauled him back up. Looks like that basic strength training was paying off. I could lift a boy bigger than me with one hand.
“‘Damn wench’? ‘Damn wench’?”
With the edge of my hand rigid, I slapped him once for every syllable in that insult. But the more I hit him, the more furious I became.
It felt so unfair. Even in the back alleys, Mayra never had to hear such vile words—because I made sure the mouths of anyone who said such things were torn open. So they could never say them again. I’d even crushed their hands and feet if needed, just to avoid any backlash.
“What the hell did that little girl ever do to deserve being called a damn wench? Where did you learn to slice people down with such vulgar words?!”
“Ahh!”
Caleb tried to cover his swollen cheeks with both arms. But instead, I kicked him hard in the shin.
“Gyaaa!”
“Listen carefully. Do you know how easily someone can be destroyed by a tongue like yours?!”
I shouted fiercely at Caleb as he collapsed to his knees.
Verbal abuse is brutal. Words cut the soul. Wounds from physical blows heal, but those cut by words take far longer to mend.
“Because of you, Mayra may never be able to fully believe in herself again. And you think a few slaps are painful? You should be repaying this with your body!”
That was my philosophy.
But just then—someone grabbed me roughly by the back of the neck.
“Wh-What the?!”
As I flailed, my limbs suddenly feeling weak—
“You scoundrel!”
It was Theodore. I looked up at him, startled. His face was harsher than I’d ever seen it before. No, “harsh” didn’t even begin to describe it. He looked terrifying.
“You little brat! You begged me to invite you—then you pull something like this on a guest in our home?!”
He roared with fury, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
