༺ The Lord Is With Us (57) ༻
“I came to say thanks.”
With those words from Ian, Delphine’s expression turned vacant.
Is he mocking me? She thought, but sincerity in Ian’s eyes was unmistakable.
He meant every word.
Having been raised as the heir of a prestigious family, Delphine had encountered and evaluated countless individuals. She could easily tell the difference.
But, why?
Yes, she had played her part, but it was only a supporting one. Ultimately, she was nothing more than a burden.
Ian had borne all the pain, endured all the scars, and led them to victory.
She couldn’t figure out why she deserved his gratitude, and her expression shifted to one of confusion.
“Thank you for believing in me and following my lead. Without you, Senior Delphine, I couldn’t have won. Especially at the end, when you threw your sword, placing your trust solely in my words.”
Delphine’s mind went blank.
Wasn’t that only natural?
There was no reason for her to not trust and follow him. After all, she needed to prove her worth. Yet, here Ian was, genuinely expressing his gratitude.
Stammering, her lips parted.
“I-I merely followed your orders…”
“Yes, and that’s why we won.”
With that, Ian offered a faint, warm smile.
As if everything had been said in those words.
“It’s our win, Senior Delphine. Don’t you remember our promise?”
‘Our win?’ To any observer, it was evident that Ian had achieved this win single-handedly.
But, in a blink of an eye, Ian transformed Delphine into a winner.
She really hadn’t contributed much.
She had simply been there by his side, dutifully following his commands.
Thump. Delphine’s heart began to resonate loudly.
It felt as if her blood, which had lost its vitality, surged back to life. For a moment, her breath grew slightly uneven.
It was an unusual sensation. All the suffocating feelings of inferiority and sense of defeat that had once tormented her seemed to melt away.
Right, Ian was never an opponent she could defeat anyway.
She needed to change her perspective. After all, she needed to be a winner.
Delphine remembered the promise she had made with Ian on that fateful night.
“I promised that I would make you win… Do you trust me a little now?”
Her mouth opened, then closed.
Words failed to leave her throat. A realisation, like a lightning bolt, shot up her spine, reaching and echoing in her mind.
Ian had promised to let her win.
And he had kept his word.
Delphine didn’t even have to think about it.
All she had to do was stand beside Ian and faithfully follow his orders.
And then, she could become a winner.
Wasn’t it just that simple?
Ian, possibly interpreting Delphine’s silence in some way, continued with a gentle smile that carried a hint of teasing.
“Remember our promise? If I made you win, you said you’d always listen to me.”
Delphine’s eyes quivered.
She felt ecstatic.
I see, so all I have to do is follow this man’s words.
There was no need to think any further. If he told her to bark, she would bark. If he asked for her to entertain him, she would do her utmost to.
And then, she would always emerge victorious.
Of course, she’d still have to contribute in some way. Yet, any pain or torment she might endure would be overshadowed by the burden Ian would have to carry.
Hadn’t he already proven that?
He stood at the forefront and endured every wound until he was on the brink of death.
It was only now that she could truly understand Elsie’s heart.
You cunning shrew, you knew all along.
It was such a simple and evident truth.
Delphine’s blood-red eyes started to ripple with a complex emotion.
The mentality she had honed over a lifetime began to tinge from its very core.
Much like delicate paper stained by watercolours.
“So… I hope we can continue like this. That’s what I wanted to tell you, Senior Delphine.”
In response to the clumsily spoken words, Delphine clenched her teeth, suppressing the tears that welled up.
Her head bowed deeply.
She was simply by his side, dutifully obeying his commands, and yet the man showered her with abundant words of praise.
To what extent?
How benign was he?
A thrill of being acknowledged by a superior surged through her, making her tremble. It felt as though a tingling bolt of lightning brushed down her spine.
She felt profound joy, enough to unconsciously clench her thighs.
It was then that she had to admit, from deep within her heart.
That Ian Percus had become Delphine Yurdina’s Master.
He who brought her victory. He who bore every worry and pain on her behalf.
Delphine felt an urgent desire to rise and kneel before him. To prostrate herself would be fine too.
If only she could somehow convey the intoxicating feeling that had enveloped her.
Yet, Ian’s expression had seemed so warm, so tender, that Delphine had chosen to hold back for a moment longer.
Instead, she responded in a choked voice.
“Yes, yes… I understand.”
The words had emerged from the depths of her heart.
It was a voice filled with pure obedience, much like a servant kissing the feet of their master.
Ian looked momentarily puzzled by the undertone in her voice but soon dismissed it with a wry smile.
His face seemed to indicate him thinking, Senior Delphine must have endured a great emotional turmoil.
Perhaps the day he could recognize her true intentions had not been far off, but that day had certainly not been today.
However, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, he remarked.
“By the way, is there anything you want? I’ll try my best to accommodate your wishes, Senior Delphine.”
Naturally, Ian was referring to the distribution of rewards for defeating the demonic human.
However, to Delphine, in that very moment, his words seemed to address an entirely different matter.
Ah, a reward, thought Delphine as an undeniable expectation rose in her eyes.
Perhaps akin to patting Elsie’s head, he would reward her, a well-behaved servant for listening well.
After a long contemplation, Delphine blushed slightly.
She hesitated, then cautiously began.
“T-Th-Then…”
Gulp, the sound of her nervously swallowing echoed between them. All the while, Ian merely stared at her with confused eyes.
She couldn’t bear to meet his gaze, so she lowered her gaze slightly as she continued,
“…P-Punishment.”
“What?”
Tilting her head in response to the repeated question, Delphine exhaled a nervous breath. Her crimson eyes were shimmering with an anxious glint.
“Please punish me, Master…”
Only then did Ian’s expression swiftly harden.
He realised something had gone terribly wrong. However, by the time he grasped the situation, it was already too late.
Almost instinctively, his hand moved to his forehead.
Unexpectedly, that was the day Ian gained a second slave.
**
Days slipped by once again.
In the meantime, I was overwhelmed with previous commitments. Ever since the incident at the orphanage became known, too many people sought me out.
High-ranking officials from various nations, not to mention scions of the empire’s top five prestigious families, sent messages expressing their desire to meet me. Though this wasn’t something too unusual.
For the past millennium, the Academy had been the cradle that nurtured the continent’s top talents, so engaging in recruitment competitions for notable talents wasn’t something out of the ordinary.
But I intentionally delayed my responses.
With life as unpredictable as a butterfly’s flight, I never know where I might be off to the next time a new letter arrives. With a heart burdened by the responsibility to save the world, I had no immediate plans to settle anytime soon.
Someday I would have to, though.
But now wasn’t the time. Perhaps, only after I had saved the world would it be the right moment.
Fortunately, by the time I managed to get through the incident mentioned in the second letter, I was able to get some sort of a lead on the Dark Order.
Dark Priest Mitram.
He was involved in abducting orphans and pedestrians to create the flesh nest.
As long as I stood against the Dark Order and the Delphirem they worshipped, a confrontation was inevitable someday.
Maybe on the day I will finally thwart all of their schemes, I would be able to shrug off the heavy burden that had been placed upon my shoulders.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly worried about that.
The destruction of the world? Even though I had already witnessed that terrifying monster called the ‘flesh nest’, the warning still felt surreal.
It seemed like a far-fetched tale, that I actually didn’t think much of it.
Rather, these days, my worries were much closer to me.
It was because both Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie had volunteered to become my servants.
I was curious about how far they’d go, so one time I gave them an unreasonable order.
“Both of you, kneel and kiss my feet.”
Without a shred of hesitation, Senior Delphine immediately kneeled. Senior Elsie hesitated briefly, but witnessing Senior Delphine’s resolution, she clenched her teeth, and her knees also met the ground soon after.
Though, of course, before their lips could touch my feet, I recoiled in shock.
“Seriously?! You’d do that just because I said so? Don’t you two have any pride?”
Yet, both Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie only looked at me with puzzled eyes.
I could only sigh deeply, feeling an awkward mix of surprise and discomfort under their questioning gaze that seemed to ask what I was talking about.
Unexpectedly, I had gained the obedience of two heirs from the most prestigious families.
Of course, I was not pleased. To be a bit more honest, it felt burdensome.
I couldn’t fathom why these two women, with no shortage of background, appearance, or ability, were so fixated on me. The heart of a woman still remained a mystery to me.
If I were to point out another odd thing that happened recently, it was how often I ran into the Saintess.
“…Hmph, somehow we’ve run into each other again.”
With a sullen attitude, the Saintess spoke. She supported her bosom with one arm, further emphasizing her cleavage, which was already prominent enough.
Nonchalantly, she waved with her other hand and continued.
“As much as it annoys me, these repeated coincidences are becoming rather tiresome. It feels as if the Heavenly God himself is playing a hand…”
“I have a lecture to attend, so I’ll be leaving first.”
I began to step away with those words, but the Saintess, now noticeably flustered, stamped her feet and exclaimed.
“…..Y-You don’t have another lecture!”
My questioning gaze turned to the Saintess, silently interrogating how she knew such a detail.
In response, she faked a few adorable coughs, trying her best to calm her flushed face, all the while fanning herself rapidly with her hand.
“Yu-Yuren told me. H-He has such a good memory, he even remembers the most useless details.”
Aside from that, my peaceful daily life continued as usual.
At least that was the case until that morning arrived.
After drinking alone for the first time in a long while, I ended up overly drunk, and somehow managed to fall asleep without even knowing how I ended up in bed.
And then the next day came.
No, to be precise, it was ‘that day.’ As too much time had already passed.
A splitting headache and a vivid dream that felt strangely real.
Automatically, like a routine I had come to know all too well, I soothed the burning thirst in my throat with water from my canteen.
Then, silently, my eyes shifted to the table beside the bed.
It was just as I had expected.
An overturned calendar and an old-fashioned envelope.
All I could do was run my dry hand across my face.
“…Fuck.”
Good times were always short-lived.
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