I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

༺ 𓆩  Chapter 25 — Setting Up The Board  𓆪 ༻

「Translator — Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

Driving a sword into the ground was not an efficient action.

It left one vulnerable to sudden attacks, wasted unnecessary strength, and consumed precious time.

'Yet the reason Loraine drove her sword in the ground was.'

Because none of it mattered.

Because whether she held her sword high or buried it in the earth, the result would remain unchanged.

"......"

She was a high-rank Sword Expert.

Though its prestige had been overshadowed by the title of Swordmaster,

excluding the Swordmasters - who numbered only three and were bound by various restrictions - it was a title that indicated the strongest existing warriors at present.

In other words, being a high-rank Sword Expert meant that regardless of the opponent's experience or numbers,

one was no different from a weapon of war capable of single-handedly changing the tide of battle.

So, deciding to leave the rear to Loraine and planning to drive my hammer into Elysia's skull, I was about to raise my hand when,

"...We both need to calm down a bit."

Elysia spoke while pulling out a new artifact from within her clothes.

"Let’s continue this conversation after we’ve cooled our heads."

"Is there really any need to talk again? I have no intention of listening to whatever you bark out."

"You never know."

She smiled faintly, unwavering despite the hammer poised to strike.

"Just as you once brought warmth to the North… I may be able to bring something similar to you."

The moment she finished speaking, mana surged outward.

Elysia’s figure flickered—her form blurring as the space around her distorted.

A teleportation spell.

Fueled by the artifact she had just activated.

Of course, I had no intention of letting her leave just like that.

"I don’t need anything from you. Just disappear."

I swung my hammer once more—

Crashing it against the shield protecting her.

The moment it made contact, the barrier—already pushed past its limits—shattered; the mana construct burst apart like splintering glass, fragments scattering into the air.

Through the flickering light, I saw Elysia’s face.

Saw the way her eyes widened—

The way her carefully measured expression cracked into startled disbelief.

Perhaps, for the first time—

My words had actually reached her.

But before I could see the full extent of her reaction—

Her body vanished.

Leaving nothing behind.

"........"

The room fell silent.

The tension in the air dissipated, leaving only a lingering stillness.

Without a word, I tucked my hammer back into my coat—

And calmly took my seat.

Thus marking the end of the first meeting.

𓇗

"Damian..."

The moment I stepped into my room, the first thing I saw was Siren.

She looked restless—pacing anxiously, hands gripping a bundle of bandages and plasters.

Judging by her expression, Loraine must have told her what had happened.

"Are you okay?"

She rushed over, examining me from head to toe, eyes filled with concern.

I reached out, intending to ruffle her hair in reassurance—

But—

"Now’s not the time for that."

With a serious look, she shook her head and pulled me toward a chair, firmly seating me down.

"Let me treat you."

Then she started applying bandages to my hands, face, and... feet? I wasn't sure why the feet, but she put bandages there too.

Watching this, I awkwardly told the truth.

"I'm not injured anywhere."

"Is that what's important right now?"

I wondered what was important then. I really couldn't tell.

About to give up on communication, I decided this was worth asking about, so I wiggled my foot and questioned,

"I'm really curious though - why put bandages on the feet?"

"Walking makes your feet hurt, doesn't it?"

"...? Right."

Understanding isn't always necessary for living in this world.

What's important is tolerance, consideration, and love.

Giving up on trying to make sense of it, I fell into brief contemplation.

'Now, let's think about the aftermath.'

Actually, there wasn't much of an aftermath to consider.

If we let this pass without comment, it would remain as a minor emotional conflict 'between individuals,'

but the moment someone made it public, it would escalate into a conflict 'between houses.'

Both House Carsaril and House Wintraven would likely prefer to overlook it.

'Besides, regardless of what happened, no one died or was injured.'

So there was no reason to touch it and make it public.

The Houses would judge it best to quietly sweep it under the rug, so there shouldn't be any problems...

The problem, as always, was Elysia.

'No matter how I think about it, she's unlikely to let this go quietly.'

Of course, since she wanted something from me, she'd likely shift her approach from revenge to persuasion,

but I had many concerns since her methods would certainly be unconventional.

While I was contemplating what preparations to make,

"Young Master, would you like to go out for a change of mood?"

Loraine suggested an outing.

𓇗

At first, I was going to refuse.

There was too much on my mind, too many things to consider.

But then, I caught sight of Siren standing by the window, staring outside in quiet longing.

And before I knew it, I had already agreed.

'Besides, they suggested it for my sake.'

It felt awkward to refuse and embarrass someone needlessly.

Following Loraine, who was munching on snacks, and Siren, who had the sun spirit perched on her head, I spoke up.

"So, anything you want to do?"

"Yeah."

To my surprise, it was Siren who answered first.

She looked up at me, expression neutral, before bringing up something I had nearly forgotten.

"So when are you going to name Myung-myung?"

It was quite peculiar to ask what name to give while already calling it Myung-myung.

Still, it wasn't exactly wrong, so I asked the sun-spirit on Siren's head.

"Shall we give you a name?"

"Myung!"

"Do you have a name you'd like?"

Before the sun-spirit could answer, Siren spoke up first.

"Since myung-myung says 'myung-myung,' myung-myung is the right name."

Siren declared this proudly, as if stating obvious common sense.

The moment the sun-spirit heard this,

Whack—!

Like a cat throwing a paw punch, it quickly struck Siren's head in rejection.

"......"

Was the rejection shocking?

After taking the hit, Siren deflated dejectedly and hung her head low.

Watching Siren, I clicked my tongue and spoke.

"Calling it myung-myung doesn't seem quite right."

Besides, the sun-spirit would eventually develop into a more human-like form, just like Fenrir.

Giving it a name like myung-myung could lead to some awkward situations in the future.

So while I was suggesting we choose a different name,

"How about that?"

Loraine pointed to a flower, offering a fairly good idea.

"How about the name Daisy?”

She glanced at me with a small smile.

"Daisies bloom during the day. It feels fitting for a sun-spirit, don’t you think?"

Not a bad choice.

I turned to the spirit.

"What do you think of Daisy?"

"Waaah! I love it!"

Apparently very pleased, it transformed into human form and nodded vigorously. As I was stroking Daisy's head with my finger, I suddenly spotted an interesting scene in the distance.

Someone trying to chase away a stray dog only to be counter-attacked instead.

The moment I saw it, a realization struck me.

A way to flip the board Elysia had set.

‘A counterattack.’

To be more precise—

If Dale was coming to kill me…

I would simply kill him first.

𓇗

Teleportation always came with a headache.

For most people, it was a mild dizziness—easily cured by sitting down for a moment.

But for Elysia, whose head was already plagued with unbearable pain, the additional strain was overwhelming; the moment she landed on the streets, her body convulsed, and she heaved violently.

"—Uueegh!"

Nothing came out—she hadn’t eaten anything.

But the bitter, acidic burn clawed at her throat, leaving behind a wretched taste.

She wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest.

But she couldn’t afford to waste time.

With a trembling hand, she wiped her mouth and forced herself to move.

‘I need to find Dale. Now.’

Damian's hostility was stronger than she had anticipated.

She had expected resistance, of course—expected hatred.

But she hadn’t expected him to swing a hammer at her while she was begging for forgiveness.

His resentment ran deeper than she had calculated.

'It's fine. This much is still manageable.'

Though beyond expectations, it wasn't beyond salvaging.

She simply had to bury it beneath something else.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she steadied her unsteady legs and continued forward; the pain wasn't severe, but she grimaced at its irritating persistence.

By the time she arrived at the northern lodging, Dale was just about to leave the building.

Thinking it fortunate their paths hadn't missed, she spoke to him.

"...Dale, would you accompany me for a moment?"

Though he seemed surprised by the sudden visit and request,

perhaps due to their previous emotional rapport, he nodded without much hesitation.

Putting on a bright smile for him, she spoke.

"Thank you. Let's walk for a bit."

Her incompletely recovered stomach churned, and the intertwined headaches spread excruciating pain through her head. Yet to set up her play, she had to endure, so she acted as normally as possible while leading him to the 'nearby vagrant district.'

People driven to the edge by demons and monsters, with nowhere else to go.

Ironically, their conditions were better than the worst in the North, but that wasn't important now.

She deliberately showed Dale these people bearing the scars of war and spoke seriously.

"What are your thoughts on peace, Dale?"

"Peace? While it's difficult to explain..."

Like a commoner still untainted by the world, he answered with empathy for the suffering.

"Isn't it what this world needs most?"

An amusing answer.

Peace varies with perspective, environment, and individual values,

so such an answer could only come from someone completely ignorant of the world's ways.

Still, she concealed her true thoughts and gave him a light smile.

"Hehe."

"Ah... was that a poor answer?"

"No. It was just so very like you, Dale. And I like such quintessentially Dale-like words."

"Ah... thank you, Grand Duchess."

"Elysia."

"Right... Elysia..."

Looking at this kind man who would be easy to use and discard as he fumbled for words, she decided.

...to recommend Dale as a Hero to the Order and the Imperial Family.

END of CHAPTER

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