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My expression, which had been mocking Vivian’s lesson, gradually grew serious.

Smack!

Every time the rod struck Vivian’s forearm, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth. Seeing it in person felt different from merely hearing about it.

Vivian was getting hit more than I expected, and the rod looked much more painful than I had imagined.

Smack!

But Vivian didn’t flinch at all. She didn’t even let out the slightest whimper that I once overheard from the other room.

Instead, she occasionally glanced at me, as if checking whether I was watching closely.

Her expression was complex.

There seemed to be a hint of shame in her face as well.

Smack!

That made it thirty-two times.

It was impossible not to get bruised.

I looked at Lady Linne. She had no change in expression as she listened to Vivian’s recitation.

Feeling frustrated more than I expected, I let out a quiet sigh.

“…Ha.”

I couldn’t understand why watching her get punished felt so unpleasant.

…

After what felt like a long time, the lesson finally ended.

“Lady Vivian, I’ll see you later. Let’s eat before you return.”

As Lady Linne spoke, she shot me a glance.

With a click of her tongue, she gave me a look of disdain.

“…”

I returned her gaze with my own disgust.

I wished that my father had killed a few members of her family.

Now that the class was over, I also stood up.

I intended to tease Vivian a bit to take revenge for the recent bullying… but I decided against it.

Sure, there was punishment, but her expression didn’t look pretty at all.

She stood there as if she would start crying the moment I poked her.

It was hard to tell if she was ashamed or angry, but her ears were red.

So, I tried to leave the room without saying a word.

“…Where are you going?”

But she spoke up.

Turning around, I saw Vivian rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, wiping away her tears.

It was only after Lady Linne left that she let the tears flow.

“I, I said I’d gift my life to you.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“D-Do you know how many times I’ve been hit?”

“…41 times.”

“…”

Vivian, still rubbing her eyes, looked up at me. Tears smeared around her eyes.

She couldn’t even hide it as she babbled, seemingly wondering how I remembered how many times she got hit.

Then she snapped back to reality and wiped away the last of her tears.

“You, you should get hit as well. Then we’ll see if you can still say the same things.”

She walked over to her desk and opened a drawer.

From inside, she pulled out another rod identical to Lady Linne’s.

I said to her, “It wouldn’t hurt, even if you hit me.”

“…”

For a moment, Vivian froze at my words and then called over a maid who was waiting outside.

“Did you call for me?”

“Sena. Hit Kyle Allen with this rod, forty-one times.”

“What…?”

“It’s an order.”

Sena, the maid, looked at me unwillingly.

On the other hand, I was feeling conflicted.

I wondered if I had come here in vain, but I was curious if hitting me would ease Vivian’s expression a bit.

I remembered her smile when she was doing laundry.

Would it bring me some comfort to experience what she had gone through? Would sharing the same pain make it better?

No matter what, I didn’t want to run away from the burning look in Vivian’s eyes.

So, looking at the hesitant maid, I nodded.

Vivian seemed a little flustered, as if she hadn’t expected me to accept so easily.

Sena took a deep breath and swung the rod at my forearm.

Smack!!

Sharp pain coursed through my arm.

But I kept my gaze fixed only on Vivian.

Smack!

Vivian looked at me while observing my reaction.

We didn’t shy away from each other’s gaze as Sena swung the rod forty-one times.

Smack!

We just kept looking into each other’s eyes for a long while.

…

By the end, I could see a very faint hint of guilt flicker across Vivian’s expression.

I didn’t like that much. I didn’t want to see her weak side.

Her life was already hard; how could she do anything if she stayed that weak?

“…It’s over.”

Sena, sweating profusely, declared the end.

Vivian glanced at my forearm, then frowned.

“…You…”

She seemed like she had something to say.

I waited a long time for her to speak first.

After that long wait, she whispered,

“…Doesn’t it hurt?”

“…”

I didn’t know how to respond. I couldn’t tell if she was merely curious or if her worry stemmed from guilt.

But it was probably not out of concern.

“…”

It did hurt. But should I say it hurts? Would it be better for Vivian if I acted strong?

Or maybe she wanted empathy? Maybe she wanted me to hurt as she did.

I didn’t know. Unable to find the answer, I ultimately remained silent.

“…Enough, now.”

Vivian said weakly.

I hesitated, then turned and left the room.

I could feel her gaze lingering on my back.

****

As I wandered the castle, returning to the Punishment Unit, I heard the whispers of maids echoing along the walls.

“They’re both so pitiful. I didn’t like it at first, but… seeing them over time…”

“They’re both still young, but because of their families…”

“…What can they do? If they don’t, they’ll be in danger in no time…”

“Especially Kyle Allen… he must have lived like a prince before…”

“Vivian would be better off giving up…”

As I kept walking, I turned a corner and saw the maids cleaning the castle.

They jumped at the sight of me and scattered in all directions.

I sighed.

It was a trivial matter, but even such whispers annoyed me.

Pity? Danger?…

…Vivian was certainly under the same pressure.

“…”

Looking back now, I had been indifferent.

That night, I hadn’t realized how I was shaking her up.

I was desperate, but the more I looked closely, the more Vivian’s life seemed tougher than I thought.

Just spurring on my competitive spirit wouldn’t help her get through everything.

She needed real support.

Would sharing the punishment with her help in some way?

“…Ha.”

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts.

I didn’t know why I was even thinking this way.

Whether Vivian got hit or ignored, or even died, I shouldn’t care.

Why couldn’t I just leave her alone?

Taking care of myself was hard enough as it was.

While brooding, someone approached me.

“Kyle Allen!”

A burly man raised his hand to signal his presence.

A red band hugged his arm. The Surveillance Unit.

His name was probably… Coleman.

He was Burgor’s aide.

“Kyle Allen, Lord Burgor has summoned you.”

Coleman said.

“…Me?”

…

Burgor was trimming his nails in his room. He blew away the dust of the trimmed nails.

He glanced at me as I entered the room and said, “…Did you finish the laundry I assigned?”

“…”

I hadn’t done it. It was still left by the river.

Burgor scoffed.

“Looks like you’re getting a bit too free. A little leniency and you start acting wild.”

If I didn’t finish my work, Burgor wouldn’t feed me.

Not wanting to starve, I said, “I’ll get it done now. I almost finished, but I got interrupted.”

“Forget it, that’s not why I called you.”

“…?”

Thud.

Burgor set his tools down and looked directly at me.

His forehead furrowed as he spoke.

“I’ve noticed you’re getting a bit cocky lately.”

When I voiced my confusion, he explained.

“You’ve been taking down your comrades with swords every day, right?”

Indeed, I had been wiping the floor with all my sparring partners recently. I felt like I had to do so to avoid being disrespected.

I retorted back to Burgor.

“You’re the one making us spar every day.”

“I’ve set up the sparring, not the beating.”

“Is it my fault those weaklings can’t keep up?”

“Those ‘weaklings’ shouldn’t be your punching bags.”

His words ignited the anger inside me.

“Beaten? Do you think you understand their size when they come after me? If I got beaten, it would’ve been one thing, but I’ve never bullied anyone. I fight alone!”

Burgor laughed at my response.

“You bullied them. The eldest son of a knight family, beating down children of bakers, fishermen, and farmers with your sword.”

I was caught off-guard.

“The children of the Punishment Unit hadn’t even seen a sword before they got here. You don’t think beating them with a sword is bullying?”

As I swallowed my surprise, I replied, “…They shouldn’t have picked a fight with me at late hours.”

“Last time it was a fist, what will you do next time? A dagger?”

“…”

Burgor shook his head and stood, taking steps towards me.

“I thought there would be a certain level of chivalry, even if we’re knights.”

“If you find a fool who preaches chivalry in the middle of enemy territory, let me know.”

“In the middle of enemy territory…”

Thud.

Burgor placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.

His strength bore down on me.

“Haven’t you realized yet? This is your home now.”

“…”

“Your comrades are beside you. They’re not the people you should be beating up.”

His words jolted my sense of reality.

There was a degree of truth in what he said, and I blinked, looking down at the floor.

Thud.

Then I shrugged off his arm.

His heavy hand struggled to slip away.

“I’m just giving you advice. We don’t want to be in a position where we can’t say anything to your father if you die too easily.”

“…Why would I die?”

I was keeping my ears open at night. I was alert, prepared for any threats that might come my way.

I didn’t plan on dying easily.

Burgor laughed at that too.

“I’m not talking about your comrades. Of course, it’s a possibility, but you wouldn’t want to be trapped in the Punishment Unit for life or executed, would you?”

“…?”

“You seem to be forgetting that we’re a knight order as well. Soon, we’ll be setting out to eliminate monsters around Roktana. Do you think you’ll be safe then? Do you think you can return unharmed after being abandoned by your comrades?”

“…”

“You’ll definitely need comrades you can trust at your back then, won’t you?”

Burgor then left me standing there and approached Coleman, who had been waiting outside the office.

“Coleman, I’m going to see Baelor. Bring the paperwork. And…”

Meanwhile, I fell into thought. I hadn’t even considered the upcoming expedition.

Come to think of it, hadn’t Vivian mentioned wanting to eliminate monsters here and conveniently die?

“…”

When Burgor finished talking to Coleman and approached me again, he said, “You’ve both beaten each other enough, so it’s time to make amends. Who knows? They might become comrades that can protect you later.”

“…”

“The children of the Punishment Unit are also pitiful. They are victims of war. Many have lost their fathers without knowing why and have to take on the role of the head of the family. Balron, Willas, and Martin, who share your room, are prime examples.”

I muttered.

“…I’m a victim of war too.”

“I know.”

Burgor said, “If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have offered you advice like this today.”

I looked back at Burgor.

After living together for months, his attitude toward me felt remarkably different.

“…Anyway, if your dream is to die, go elsewhere and die. I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

“…”

Burgor looked down at me for a moment with a sympathetic expression but then wrinkled his nose and walked away.

 

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