It was because of Karl’s kindness that I was able to start proper training.
Without knowing anything, just moving my body recklessly like I did in the game, Karl was the one who first reached out to me.
If it hadn’t been for him, I would have kept training alone until I entered the academy.
And only when it was time for the academy entrance exam would I have realized the gap between the game and reality.
That swinging a weapon with a mouse click is nothing like actually fighting in person.
If it hadn’t been for Karl, if he hadn’t been the one to reach out first, no one would have thought to help Lucy Allen. They wouldn’t have believed that Lucy was trying to change.
Now, holding my shield and mace, I survey my surroundings, feeling a certain emptiness from the lack of something that should have been there.
The gazes of the knights watching me and Karl are filled with curiosity, expectation, and envy.
When I had just been bestowed with memories from another world, there wasn’t even a trace of goodwill in the knights’ gazes.
Back then, I had recklessly poured all my sorrow onto those around me.
Who would have liked someone like that? A person who would hurl verbal abuse at anyone whose gaze met theirs. For someone to reach out to me, it must have taken a lot of courage.
Just that single act of courage made Karl worthy of being called my benefactor.
“Ready?”
When I asked, Karl nodded and wrapped his aura around his sword.
The colored aura clearly told me that he wasn’t planning on going easy on me. That was only natural.
The situation between us had been reversed.
“In the past, it was you who challenged me, but now it’s me challenging you.”
“Heh. Then maybe I’ll go easy on you?”
“No. Please give it your all. Only then will I understand my place.”
As I raised my divinity and asked the fairies for help, they ascended to the sky with bright smiles.
When the surrounding scenery changed, I could clearly see the tense expression on Karl’s face.
“Bring it.”
As soon as I nodded, Karl lowered his posture and rushed toward me.
It was an attack aimed to strike upward from below, as though he wanted to hit my shield.
With a light step, I dodged the first attack, then bent my head to avoid the second strike, which came like a snake’s strike. I then swung my shield to strike his torso and pushed him back.
“You’re already dead, you know?”
“...I’ll go again.”
“Don’t be pathetic. Do it properly. There’s no way a fool like you could handle this sword.”
Karl’s sword was infinitely close to being the textbook definition of a sword style.
Unlike Arthur, he didn’t mix many variations, and unlike Frey, it wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, nor did it have the might of Benedict.
His sword was, literally, the sword of a knight you’d expect to see in a story.
I know this from what I’ve heard from my grandfather.
A knight who wields such a sword starts doubting themselves when they hit a wall.
They begin to feel their sword, which has nothing extraordinary about it, is useless and start turning their eyes elsewhere.
Karl was exactly like that now.
He had fallen behind those who stood much farther away, and now it was hard for him even to stand in the same battlefield, unable to affirm whether he was suited to his master or not.
“However, with a knight’s sword, I can’t reach you.”
“Speak properly. It’s not the knight’s sword that’s wrong, it’s that you’re pathetic.”
Karl’s people aren’t fools. They must have given him heartfelt advice when they saw him walking down the wrong path.
But Karl, consumed by his anxiety, couldn’t hear that advice.
“With that state, anything you do will be crushed by me.”
“That’s...”
“Why don’t you try coming at me until your heart settles? So I can laugh at your pitiful state.”
If sweet words didn’t work, a strong remedy was needed.
Only by thoroughly breaking him down and making him realize the foolishness of his actions could Karl finally return to the right path.
I’m definitely not doing this to torment him.
I’m playing the villain for Karl’s sake!
“Why aren’t you coming? Are you scared?”
With a mocking laugh, I made sure to stomp loudly as I taunted Karl, and he rushed toward me without a word.
His arm, gripping the sword, strained with muscles as he swung with all his might.
If I had to compare it, it was a strike similar to Benedict’s, but there was a huge difference between Karl’s power and Benedict’s sword.
The difference between an attack that devastates the surroundings just from swinging a sword and an ordinary strike is enormous.
With a clear ringing sound, Karl’s sword was deflected, and I didn’t miss the opportunity to dive in and poke my palm into his solar plexus, sending him flying back.
“Again.”
Karl dashed forward but then stepped back. It was like a dog showing its fangs only to whimper.
“Again.”
Now, it seemed like defeat had been learned, as his eyes were filled with fear before even approaching.
“Again.”
When he swung his sword, hesitation, not confidence, showed.
“Again!”
It was taking him longer and longer to rise from the ground.
“Alright. Once more. Come at me.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Despite everything, what made Karl impressive was that he didn’t give up.
Maybe it was because he couldn’t give up his pride.
Maybe it was because he desperately wanted to stay by my side.
Or perhaps it was because he was so full of anger that he couldn’t control himself anymore.
But whatever the reason, Karl got up, gripped his sword again, and charged at me.
Then, for the first time, I felt a heavy shock through my shield. It wasn’t just any sword—it was a knight’s sword that landed a blow on me.
“Now you’re starting to act like a person.”
But that was all. The gap between us was still too wide for Karl to win.
“Heh. Heh. Ha. One more time. Please.”
After countless defeats, Karl had reached his limit, his hands trembling as he asked for one more round.
It was as though he wanted to collapse and be unable to move.
So, I lifted him up with one hand and threw him, fulfilling his wish.
“Really... you’ve gotten strong.”
“Karl. You too. At this level, you’d be considered strong even among knights, wouldn’t you?”
“What does that matter? I’m just a half-wit who can’t even stand by your side.”
“What nonsense is this? When did I ever say I’d abandon you?”
“...I’m just too weak to even compare to you.”
“Hah! Of course, you are. It’s common sense that the owner is stronger than their pet.”
“Then, I don’t have any skills other than swinging a sword.”
“There’s no one around me as sociable as you.”
“And I...”
“Ahh. Never mind. Since when did a guard need to be the strongest on the continent? You’re an idiot. Strength only needs to be at a reasonable level.”
If a guard had to be stronger than their owner, then who would guard Benedict? That would be the paradox that only Papa could protect Papa.
“The talent a guard needs is the personality of a stupid big dog. And the only person who can put up with my annoying personality is you.”
Even when the Mesugaki skill was working at its best, Karl had accepted everything with a smile.
There’s no one better suited to guard me than him.
“If you really don’t want to, I can find some other fool.”
“No. Ugh. I’ll do it. Please, let me. I won’t betray your expectations!”
Unable to hold back his tears, Karl bowed his head, and tears began to fall from the knights watching us.
When I saw Porsel, who had turned his back, his shoulders trembling, it seemed like he wasn’t an exception.
<Our. Our Lucy is saying such nice things!>
‘...Grandfather, please don’t start too.’
<How can you not be moved! What you said is something any knight would want to hear at least once! This is it! I must immediately send this story through Erginus!>
‘Stop! Stop! We’re going to end up with a huge rumor if you keep going! I’ll make sure something terrible happens to you!’
After barely stopping my grandfather, I tilted my head at the knights, who seemed to be glancing at us.
Papa or Mama hadn’t shown up, so why were they all looking at us like that?
Following their gaze, I turned my head to find Erin bowing to me with a towel and a cool drink in hand.
“Well done, Lady. You looked every bit the rightful heir of the Allen family.”
Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.
“Thanks for the compliment, Erin.”
“It’s nothing. Just speaking the truth.”
“By the way, why are the knights looking at you like that?”
“They’re a bunch of people who, even when watching their master’s predicament, are more concerned with controlling their own emotions. Maybe they’ve realized too late that they were wrong.”
Each time Erin’s cold voice echoed, the knights held their breath.
What happened in the Allen household while I was away? I’ll have to ask later.
“By the way, Lady. Dinner is ready. It would be best to wash off the sweat before heading to the dining hall.”
“Where are Papa and Mama?”
“They said they have a lot to talk about, so they will be dining separately.”
“They’re not fighting again, are they?”
“They don’t seem to be. Their conversation seemed quiet and serious.”
“Well, that’s a relief. If they were fighting, I was thinking of leaving the Allen mansion for a while.”
“If that happens, please take me with you. I’m not the maid of the Allen family; I’m your maid, Lady.”
With a gentle smile, Erin nodded, and I called Karl, whose face was still swollen.
“Karl. I’m sorry to the chef, but tell him we’ll be eating out today.”
“Understood, Lady. Then, I’ll be your guard.”
“Not today. We’re going out to have fun. Just Erin and me.”
“...Huh?”
I grabbed Erin’s hand and said it aloud, and Erin blinked, then made a foolish remark.
“What’s this? You don’t want to hang out with me?”
“I-I don’t mean that, but... how dare I—”
“You don’t care about following your master’s orders?”
“Lady. I...”
“Shut up and do as I say. I have a lot to talk to you about.”
Let me know if you'd like to proceed with more chapters or need adjustments!