“How dare you...!”
Somerset hesitated for a moment as he faced those steady blue eyes staring at him fearlessly, so he instinctively took a step back.
Diderick barely took advantage of this opportunity to avoid Somerset's stray strikes.
A sharp breeze passed by Somerset's neck, sending shivers through his body.
If he had learned the art of swordsmanship...
There was an obvious reason Daedric had not learned to use a sword: Delaney had forbidden him to do so.
Using his small and weak body as an excuse, Delaney deliberately delayed his sword training. He even made matters worse by spreading rumors within the palace walls that Daedric was lazy and had no respect for knights. As expected, the Duke did not interfere in the matter at all.
So, no matter how Daedric's feelings changed, nothing would change… he would never learn to use a sword.
That was a foregone conclusion.
“How dare he look at me with those eyes that look like my father’s…?”
Somerset was overcome with anger, and he struck Daedric's shoulder with a strong blow with the wooden sword.
slap!
“You bastard!”
Despite falling to the ground, Daedric stubbornly got back up.
Somerset, annoyed by his earlier hesitation, shouted angrily:
“No matter how hard you try, you can never defeat me!”
Then Diderick noticed something… a small, unprotected gap in Somerset's stance.
He ignored the pain that was pulsing through his body, and gripped his wooden sword tightly.
“Just one hit!”
With all his determination, he struck at the exposed side of Somerset's body.
“Fuck!”
Although Somerset narrowly avoided the direct hit, he lost his balance and fell backwards hard.
Bump!
“Ugh!”
Dideric did not miss the opportunity, and quickly pointed his wooden sword at Somerset's nose, causing him to jump back in surprise.
Somerset stared up, shocked by Daedric's steady eyes that reflected no fear.
It was clear to everyone… Somerset had lost.
Daedric caught his breath and said softly:
“I challenge you because I want to succeed, brother.”
He repeated the same words Somerset had used to mock him earlier, then turned and walked away.
Somerset rose up angrily and shouted:
"How dare you touch me?! You think I'll let this go?!"
Daedric turned and looked at him coldly.
“It's just a training match.” (in short, Qom)
Somerset froze.
Diderick repeated the same words Somerset had once said to him, but this time he could not reply.
Calmly, Daedric looked at him one last time before leaving the training ground.
As his steps faded, Somerset's angry shout rang out behind him.
"Shit! Get back here, you bastard—!"
But Dedric did not turn around.
Pain throbbed through his body, and he frowned as he looked at his swollen wrist and injured shoulder.
“You shouldn't find out…”
The image of that girl, who was always more concerned about his wounds than hers, came to his mind.
He felt more concerned about her grief than his joy at his victory over Somerset.
—
He hesitated for a moment before returning to his room, but a voice stopped him.
“Greetings, young master.”
Daedric looked up and saw a long shadow stretching in front of him. He looked up from his swollen wrist, finding himself in front of a knight he knew well.
“Ah, Sir Jacob.”
“Hmm…?”
Jacob's eyes widened in surprise.
“How did you know my name?”
Daedric lowered his gaze slightly and said in a calm voice:
“I'm not that good at swordsmanship, but I always watch your training...your skills are amazing.”
Jacob smiled modestly, but behind his smile there was a trace of bitterness.
“…Thank you, but I’m just a useless knight, I couldn’t even awaken the aura.”
“But still, you are part of the Black Hawk Knights. The leader must have seen what was worthy of you.”
“…I appreciate your kind words.”
However, the harsh truth has not changed. Without awakening the aura, he would always be sidelined, just like today when the rest of the knights left on the mission of eliminating monsters, leaving him behind.
Deedric saw in Jacob a reflection of himself...that feeling of helplessness, those looks that bore him as a burden that was not his fault.
He hesitated for a moment, then said:
“Aura...sometimes appears late in life.”
His words were a clumsy attempt at encouragement, but Jacob smiled kindly.
“Thank you… May I take a look at your shoulder and wrist, young master?”
Daedric hesitated for a moment, but finally extended his hand. Jacob examined his injuries carefully, his eyes narrowing with concern.
This was no ordinary training, but more like abuse. The rumors of Somerset disciplining his younger brother were pure lies.
Jacob glanced at Deedric's swollen shoulder and damaged wrist, then muttered anxiously:
“...Does this hurt?”
"Not much…"
"…".
Jacob hesitated, then gently released his wrist.
“Fortunately, there are no broken bones.”
“That's reassuring...”
“Do you want to go to the medical clinic?”
“…”.
Daedric was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“Is there something to treat the cuts on my face?”
“We have a healing ointment that contains healing stones.”
Daedric breathed a sigh of relief. He tried his best to avoid facial injuries, but he couldn't avoid a few small scratches.
—
When they returned to his room, he didn't have time to remove the scorpions yet!
She quickly jumped towards the closet and shouted:
"Don't go near the bed! Axel sent scorpions into the room!"
“W-what?!”
Daedric blinked in surprise.
I jumped out of the closet and pulled Daedric behind me. I quickly looked at his face, but he seemed unharmed, which made me feel relieved.
“Nothing happened at the training ground?”
“Just watch some duels.”
“Somerset let him go so easily?”
I looked at him suspiciously, but he smoothly changed the subject.
“By the way…scorpions?”
“Oh…”
I raised my arms to protect him and said firmly:
“I'll get rid of her, stay away.”
But he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Why?”
“Aren't you afraid of her?”
“It's okay, they're just scorpions.”
He stared at me silently, but didn't let go of my wrist.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the right words.
However, he did not let go of my wrist.
“How did you know it stung?”
“I… accidentally got stung by one.”
He sighed in annoyance and looked away from me.
Of course, Dedric immediately exposed my lie.
“Why are you lying?”
“Because you'll feel bad.”
“Didi.”
“Didi!”
"I did well."
This is strange...
Doesn't it seem like the roles have been reversed somehow?
Wasn't I supposed to be the one taking care of Deedrick?
But instead of arguing, I decided to focus on the task in front of me.
“Let's clean it up together.”
Didric looked at me for a moment before asking in an unexpected tone:
“Aren't you angry?”
“You did it for me, didn't you?”
“…”.
“Just don't do it again in the future.”
“Don’t worry, as long as the locker is safe, I won’t die.”
Deedric laughed softly, then looked at me mysteriously before asking:
“Do you remember the first thing you said to me?”
I tilted my head slightly, trying to remember.
“First thing? Hmm… maybe it was ‘hello’?”
He seemed to lose his words for a moment, as if what he said wasn't what he was expecting or hoping to hear.
—
He looked at me silently, then smiled slightly before shaking his head, as if blaming himself for something I didn't yet understand.