“What in the world is that…?”

I could feel the nearby nobles, who had been sparring, looking on in shock. A one-sided beating. No one would mistake this for a sparring match. There were occasional murmurs that someone should intervene, but no one dared step forward.

To intervene in a sparring match without permission was an insult to both families involved. On one side was the Hartrain family, who dominated high society, and on the other was the royal family. While the nobles were shocked and horrified, no one dared to interfere. After all, no noble dislikes gossip. Some even watched with gleaming eyes, as if entertained by this unexpected spectacle.

“You’re doing well. But it seems you’re lacking in strength. If you could improve that, you’d have decent skills.”

“Th-thank you… for your instruction.”

Despite trembling with pain, she did not look away from me. She was afraid of me. How could a sheltered woman like her ever have endured this kind of pain before? And yet, as if begging me to go on, the corners of her lips turned up slightly. Despite the tears streaming down her face, she seemed content – simply because my eyes were fixed on her.

“She resembles me.

I remembered something Zetak had said to me once. At the time I hadn’t understood what he meant. Now I thought I might. A grotesquely twisted, blind devotion. She really did resemble Zetak in some ways. And I didn’t like it.

Even now I knew that this had reached a dangerous point. The nobles were staring in horror, and some young members of the Hartriin family were staring at me as if I were a villain. I couldn’t go on like this. I knew that. But the moment I realised she was getting satisfaction out of it, I activated my Ki throughout my body.

Just enough to increase my general physical strength – no more. I didn’t infuse my sword with Ki or anything like that. The moment I did that, this would no longer be sparring, it would be murder.

Of course, it would also be a problem to continue to hit her in this state. Her entire body would be crushed. Not even being a member of the royal family would exempt me from the consequences. She was the only daughter of the Hartrein family, so it wouldn’t be easy to sweep this under the carpet. Maybe that’s why…

“Stop it.”

A low whisper reached my ears. Though it was no louder than a muttered word from afar, it echoed clearly in my head. I stopped in my tracks and turned my eyes to Zetak. He was still sitting below the training grounds, his expression dark and frozen. He must have realised what I was about to do.

It was a request. Normally, when Zetak asked me to do something, I was ready to do it. But this time…

“This has nothing to do with you.”

Not this time. I murmured quietly as I turned my attention back to Karial.

“This is a personal matter. So I have no reason to heed your words.”

There is a price for touching what is mine. And it must be paid. A single, precise blow, powerful enough to be written off as an accident during a sparring match – that would be enough. I already knew how to get Karial to cover it up herself. So…

“I hope you won’t be angry about what I’m about to do.”

With those words, I lunged at Karial. Her eyes widened in shock and she staggered back, obviously startled. I moved with ki-powered precision. It must have seemed to her as if I had vanished into thin air.

I appeared behind her and swung my sword in a wide arc. The blow wasn’t strong enough to break bones, but it had enough power to tear flesh. Deliberately, I aimed the tip of the blade diagonally across her back without the sword catching on her bones. The blade cut cleanly, leaving a deep gash.

“Ahhhhhhh!!”

A scream erupted, far louder and more agonising than anything before. Some of the nobles recoiled in shock, stumbling backwards at the sound. A strange, sharp *crack* echoed from their backs. It wasn’t the sound of a training sword striking flesh. Her blue training uniform tore as her skin split open, blood splattering everywhere. This wasn’t a clean cut – it was torn and ripped.

Karial collapsed with a guttural, rasping sound. Or rather, she tried to collapse, but before she could hit the ground I threw my sword aside and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her towards me. Her back slammed into my chest and she let out a choked, gurgling scream. I could feel her blood soaking into my clothes.

Given the jagged nature of the wound, the bleeding would be severe. Though I didn’t look, I could easily imagine the state of her back – her skin and muscles torn to shreds, left in utter ruin.

The smile that had clung to her face earlier was now gone, replaced entirely by pain. Tears streamed down her face as her eyes rolled halfway back in her head. Finally, she wore an expression that I found satisfying.

“I’m sorry. It seems I didn’t control my power well with my left hand.”

A deliberate strike. No one would see it as anything else. That’s why the onlookers were staring at me with such horrified eyes. Karial was shaking violently, probably from the excruciating pain. She had endured everything so far – remarkable patience for someone who had grown up as the cherished daughter of a count. But the agony of torn flesh was more than she could bear.

“Someone, call a priest.”

I ordered, and a few nobles scrambled down from the training grounds in a panic.

“Y-you think… you can get away with this… so many people saw…”

Despite the tears streaming down her face and the panting sobs breaking her voice, she still managed to speak. It was hard to make out her words, muffled as they were by her screams. Regardless of the fact that it was a sparring session, the power differential between us was too great and I had pushed her too far. If she decided to use her family’s influence, this could undoubtedly escalate.

So I had already planned a way to prevent things from getting out of hand – something she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

“I’m going to your estate.”

I whispered in her ear, and her eyes widened in shock.

“It means I accept your invitation. Well, the choice is yours – do you want to escalate this into something bigger, or do you want to let it go?”

I was going to attend the banquet anyway. If it could keep me out of more trouble, so much the better. I could feel the focus returning to her pain-clouded eyes. As I’d noticed before, she was anything but normal. To still have feelings for me after what I’d done was almost laughable. Once again I understood why Zetak had said she looked like him. That irrational obsession. Zetak must have been aware of his own similar feelings towards me, probably rooted in some idealised memory of me saving him.

“A-are you really going to come?”

“That depends on your decision. Was that an accident while sparring, or was it something I did on purpose?”

Her gaze wavered. She had two options. She could take this to court and drag me through a protracted conflict, or she could invite me to her banquet and deal with things at her estate. Probably the latter. Karial mistakenly believed that I knew all her secrets, which meant she wouldn’t risk a protracted battle.

“That… that was… just an accident…”

“That’s right. It was just an accident.”

Despite trembling with pain, she raised a hand and touched my hair.

“Instead… Your Highness’s gift… just… just a strand of your hair…”

“……”

“Just a little… just a little is enough…”

If I’d known nothing else, I might have given it to her. A lock of hair meant nothing to me. But now I knew how Zetak had tried to drive me from her favour. Even when he feared my wrath, he had cut off all my long hair. I remembered the sight of him staring at me in horror after he had cut it all off. Knowing the effort he’d put into that act, I couldn’t give her anything – not even something as insignificant as my hair. Judging by the look on her face, she already knew my answer.

“In that case… I will also… end my business with Your Highness…”

“Do as you wish. I don’t care what you decide.”

Karial’s face twisted, more painful than when her back had been ripped open. She gritted her teeth, as if unable to comprehend such injustice, and glared at me. But soon her defiance was drowned out by sobs. Tears streamed down her face, falling in heavy drops that made her look truly miserable.

“Why… why won’t you give it to me? You gave it to that child! Why not me…? I’m only asking for a little, so why…?”

“So you already know… why I cut my hair.”

What could I have done to her, the one who cut my hair? Zetak must have known exactly what Karial would face if she cut my hair. But even with that knowledge, she hadn’t hesitated. I remembered it clearly. Where had the tearful girl found such courage?

“So, are you ready to make another deal?”

As I supported her, letting her lean against me, I held her left hand tightly. To others it would have looked like I was simply comforting her by holding her hand. But in fact I was pressing down hard on her thumb.

“If you don’t scream, I’ll cut my hair for you.”

At my words, I immediately applied force. A grotesque sound echoed as her finger was torn off and bent backwards. Impressively, she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Although guttural sounds escaped from her throat, she didn’t let out a full cry. This allowed me to move on to her second finger.