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.
I involuntarily squeezed my eyes shut.
Even though I knew it was impossible, I thought he might strike me.
Crack!
My tightly closed eyes opened when I heard a loud 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 on the muddy ground.
"Master."
"…."
"I was wrong."
He knelt before me, earnestly begging for forgiveness.
"I dared to... to Master..."
His distorted face looked like that of a child about to burst into tears.
"Please punish me."
The rain, which had been drizzling, suddenly intensified.
Raindrops continuously fell from Eclis's high 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 ready to pounce if I even twitch a finger to punish him.'
The broken sword, possibly due to the force of being thrown, was buried in the mud made slick by the rain.
The sharp edge that had been thrust into the ground was as pointed 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.'
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 overnight and was reduced to a slave.
Hating the arrogant noblewoman who bought him for a high price, yet having to bow his head to survive, his situation must have been bleak and terrifying.
It wasn't hard to guess what Eclis was feeling.
The way he swung his sword without recognizing me when I approached. The suffocating killing intent I felt just now.
These clearly showed how much anger he was suppressing.
There was only one answer.
Like the heroine in normal mode, I should smile innocently 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 the villain Penelope in this game.
"I thought the treatment of knights in the duchy wasn'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 became dazed at my urging.
"You're soaked."
It wouldn't do any good, but I bent down and tilted the umbrella over him.
His long, rain-soaked eyelashes looked heavy.
I reached out and gently wiped 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 suddenly trailed off. Then he raised his gaze, which had been fixed on my hand, to meet my eyes.
"I want to become a formal knight as soon as possible and be 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 disappeared.
"Since you've trained so hard, I should reward you."
I looked at Eclis's head, which was starting to droop again.
I acted to hide 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 shop. Or maybe a blacksmith..."
"Master."
He suddenly cut me off and spoke.
"I wish Master would visit me more often."
Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, I looked at him with widened eyes.
"Since you left me here, you've never visited..."
"…."
"I thought you had forgotten me."
His gaze, which was fixed on me, seemed almost blind. As if he was desperately seeking love.
"…Ha."
A laugh, whether mocking or self-deprecating, escaped my lips.
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 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."
A cold blue hue began to rise on the man's lips, which had stopped moving.
I warned him in a fairly gentle voice. However, unlike him, 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 around 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 Master."
No, it wasn't just almost...
'You almost killed me.'
I forced a smile, pulling up my trembling lips.
"Punishing a knight who is loyal to his master for a trivial matter is something only fools do, Eclis."
"…."
"It wasn't intentional, right?"
Without giving him a chance to answer, I turned and quickened my pace.
His gaze stubbornly followed me until I left the training ground.
My only bodyguard, who never received an order to stand up or forgiveness.
Fortunately, he didn't try to stop me again.
I walked quickly, not caring if my dress got wet.
The scenery flashed by, a stark contrast to when I had carefully walked to avoid splashing water.
'Eclis's route isn't safe either.'
The realization made me feel terrible.
It wasn't really new.
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 fearlessly?'
The chill that had touched my neck before I even reached him, cutting through the rain.
Recalling that moment, I felt dizzy again.
"Ah..."
I staggered and stopped, not even noticing my wet clothes, leaning on a nearby tree trunk because my legs were about to give out.
Staring into the foggy distance until the dizziness passed, I muttered to myself.