In a short time, my affection level increased by 3%, but it was far from a pleasant situation.
"How did you...?"
"First, can you move this a bit?"
I glanced sideways and pointed to the wooden sword still pressed against my neck.
"It's cold."
"…Ah."
Eclis, letting out a gasp, quickly raised the hand holding the wooden sword.
Whoosh.
At that moment, a long shadow fell over my face.
My eyes involuntarily squeezed shut.
Even though I knew it was unlikely, I couldn't help but think he might strike me.
Crack!
My tightly closed eyes opened when I heard a sharp cracking sound.
The wooden sword, which had been thrown to the ground, was now broken in two.
'What is this...?'
Slowly lifting my head, which had been lowered, I saw Eclis slump down onto the muddy ground.
"Master."
"…."
"I was wrong."
He knelt before me, earnestly begging for forgiveness.
"I dared to... to Master..."
His face, contorted with emotion, looked like that of a child on the verge of tears.
"Please punish me."
The rain, which had been drizzling, suddenly intensified.
Raindrops continuously fell from Eclis's prominent nose and sharp jawline, creating a pitiful sight.
However, I immediately noticed where his gaze was directed.
The bright red ruby ring on my left index finger.
A thin sigh escaped my lips.
I alternated my gaze between Eclis and the broken wooden sword pieces scattered on the ground.
'He's asking for punishment, but if I so much as twitch a finger, he'll pounce.'
The broken sword, likely shattered by the force of being thrown, was buried in the mud softened by the rain.
The sharp edge, pointing skyward, was as sharp as a needle. If I stumbled and fell, it could easily pierce me...
'Ugh...'
A shiver ran through my body at the terrifying thought.
Suddenly, a choice from a long-forgotten game came to mind.
'If this were a game, I would have died absurdly at this scene.'
In that case, I would have reset and repeated this scene until I could move on to the next one.
Of course, I couldn't be sure since I had never played Eclis's route in hard mode.
But after spending some time in this world, I naturally developed a sense.
Again, I found myself at a crossroads.
'What should Penelope say to survive here?'
I looked down coldly at Eclis, who was kneeling before me.
Despite the pouring rain, he looked pitiful with his eyes cast down, but what was he really thinking?
A genius swordsman who had lost his homeland and become a slave, forced to grovel at the feet of a haughty noblewoman who had bought him for a high price.
His situation must be bleak and terrifying, filled with hatred and despair.
It wasn't hard to guess what Eclis was feeling.
The way he swung his sword at me without recognizing who I was, the suffocating killing intent I felt just now.
These clearly showed how much anger he was suppressing.
There was only one answer.
I had to smile innocently, like the protagonist in normal mode, and say—
'It's okay, it's nothing.'
But even a lie wouldn't come out.
'How can I say it's okay?'
I almost got hit by the wooden sword and could have died with a broken neck.
"…Eclis."
I clenched my trembling hand and finally said something else.
"Is anyone bullying you?"
Even though I had saved Eclis, I still had to think about my survival.
Since I was Penelope, the villain in this game.
"I know the treatment of knights in the duchy isn't that harsh... Why are you training in this weather?"
"…."
"Especially alone."
I forced a smile, carefully watching to see if he would push me toward the broken sword.
"Hmm?"
Eclis's expression, which had been blank, suddenly looked dazed at my urging.
"You're soaked."
It wouldn't do any good, but I still leaned over and tilted my umbrella over him.
His long, rain-soaked eyelashes looked heavy.
I reached out and gently wiped the water from the side of his eyelids.
"Tell me. Who dared to make you do this?"
Eclis flinched as if branded when my fingers touched him.
Then he let out a sigh-like answer.
"…No one."
"…."
"No one told me to."
"Is that so?"
"Just... I..."
He trailed off and raised his gaze to meet mine.
"I want to become a formal knight as soon as possible and stay by Master's side..."
"…."
"That's why I was training alone, Master."
I smiled warmly at his answer.
"You're a good boy."
By then, the trembling in his gray eyes had subsided.
"Since you've trained so hard, I should reward you."
I looked at Eclis's head, which was starting to droop, and tried not to show my inner turmoil.
"Should I tell the servants to set up a tent so you can train without getting wet? Or is there something else you want?"
"…."
Eclis shook his head silently. My eyes, which had been darting around, suddenly landed on the viciously broken wooden sword.
"Oh, right. Since your sword is broken, I should buy you a new one."
"…."
"I should call a weapon merchant. Or maybe a blacksmith would be better..."
"Master."
He suddenly interrupted me.
"I wish you would visit me more often."
Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, I looked at him with widened eyes. He continued.
"Since you haven't visited me once since you left me here..."
"…."
"I thought you had forgotten me."
His gaze, fixed on me, seemed almost blind. As if he were desperately seeking love.
"…Ha."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, a mix of mockery and self-deprecation.
Only now did I realize.
The unease I felt from the way he easily knelt before me, despite being a killing machine to others.
Just as I had put on a kind master's mask to increase affection, Eclis was mimicking a loyal dog to survive.
'Maybe I picked up a wild dog, not a puppy.'
Stupidly, I had never doubted that Eclis's route was safe.
But now, I wasn't so sure. Perhaps it was my mistake for not trying all the hard mode routes.
However, I couldn't stop now.
"…Alright. If you want, I will."
[Affection 25%]
Eclis smiled faintly at my answer.
"You'll catch a cold, Eclis."
The man's lips, which had stopped moving, began to turn blue.
I warned him in a relatively gentle voice, but I straightened my back without hesitation.
The umbrella in my hand also lifted.
Rain began to pour down on Eclis again, striking his bare upper body.
"End your training for today. That's an order."
With that, I turned and walked away.
I had just taken a step.
"Master."
Eclis called me softly.
Glancing back, I saw him still kneeling, staring at me without trying to avoid the rain.
"…Aren't you going to punish me?"
"…."
"I almost hurt you."
No, it wasn't just almost...
'You almost killed me.'
I forced a smile, lifting my trembling lips.
"Punishing a knight loyal to his master for a minor incident is something only fools do, Eclis."
"…."
"It wasn't intentional, was it?"
Without giving him a chance to answer, I turned and quickened my pace.
His gaze followed me stubbornly until I left the training ground.
My only bodyguard, who never received an order to stand or forgiveness.
Fortunately, he didn't try to stop me again.
I walked quickly, not caring if my dress got wet.
The scenery blurred as I walked, a stark contrast to when I had carefully stepped to avoid splashing water.
'Eclis's route isn't safe either.'
The realization made me feel terrible.
It wasn't new, really.
All five main male leads had an affection level of 0 or negative.
From the start of hard mode, they had been dying, so there was no easy route.
'But what made me approach him so fearlessly?'
The chill that had touched my neck before the rain even reached me.
Thinking about that moment made me feel dizzy again.
"Ah..."
I staggered and stopped, not even noticing my wet clothes, leaning against a nearby tree trunk because my legs were about to give out.
Staring into the fog until the dizziness passed, I muttered to myself.