“A new rule?”
“It’s simple. All it needs is your consent.”
At Whitney’s sudden declaration as he rose from his seat, all eyes instantly focused on him.
“If either of you manages to leave even a small [N O V E L I G H T] wound on during the duel, I will imdiately forfeit my ownership of Sir Lunelle.”
“...What?”
And within those gazes, Lunelle, who had been wearing a slightly bewildered expression, could only look utterly horrified at Whitney’s next words.
“My relationship with Sir Lunelle is currently bound by a knight’s oath, but I intend to unilaterally break it.”
“My Lord, what are you saying!”
It was probably the first ti Lunelle had ever raised her voice at her master.
And she had every reason to.
Because at least for a knight, the significance of breaking the oath was absolutely clear.
“To unilaterally break a knight’s oath...!”
“...I know, Lunelle. I know better than anyone how humiliating that would be for a proud knight like you.”
But before Lunelle could finish, Whitney’s low voice calmly cut her off.
“Hey, is a knight’s oath sothing you can break so easily?”
At that mont, redia, still resting her chin in her hand, lazily tossed out a question from behind Whitney.
“A knight’s oath binds not only the knight but also the lord receiving the oath, right?”
“.......”
“That’s why they call it the only reasonable slave contract. Does my fiancé not even know that much?”
By this point, Lunelle desperately hoped that Whitney would realize he had made a mistake and take back his words.
“Of course I know, Young Lady.”
“...Ah.”
“And considering that, I’m about to propose a new rule that will critically affect Lunelle, the oath-taker.”
But contrary to her hopes, Whitney’s voice, stripped of any hint of a smile, was frighteningly serious and cold.
“I never said you had to injure Sir Lunelle.”
“What?”
“To be honest, injuring her would be too difficult, wouldn’t it?”
Whitney’s inner circle, briefly overwheld by the atmosphere, all ended up gasping as he finally got to the real point.
“From now on, the opponent you must wound is .”
“...Are you insane?”
“That’s not allowed!”
“Haha... even I object to that.”
Naturally, redia imdiately protested, and even Lunelle—who normally followed Whitney without question—and Parsha, who had never gone against a command, tried to stop him.
“...Apologies, but I will not accept any objections.”
However, the chaotic atmosphere was instantly silenced the mont Whitney spoke, completely serious.
“......!?”
Because the instant he beca serious, an overwhelming aura so fierce that even redia flinched slightly spread across the garden.
“Once again, what matters most is your choice.”
“.......”
“If you accept... your task is simple. During the duel, land a single effective blow on within the ti limit.”
In fact, it wasn’t a bad deal for the two siblings.
Their goal wasn’t to pass the interview—they were here for Lunelle herself.
Facing Lunelle in a duel was necessary for that goal.
But if the duel condition was to strike Whitney instead, it created a dilemma.
If they focused too much on Lunelle, their true intent might be exposed.
But if they seriously attacked Whitney, it could cause political fallout, regardless of Whitney’s prior consent.
In short, it was a double-edged proposal—risky, complex, and ambiguous.
“Seems like you’re worried about sothing, but you don’t have to be.”
Seeing the Misthylene siblings hesitate, Whitney, narrowing his eyes, calmly turned his gaze backward and spoke.
“Parsha, draft a contract imdiately.”
“.......”
“A contract stating that any physical injury or threat to life incurred here today will not be held liable.”
At this point, the people gathered at the interview were more curious about Whitney’s true intentions than the duel itself.
It wasn’t just another one of Whitney’s strange antics.
True, he had often taken surprising, decisive actions before, but only for things that could shift the fate of the world.
This was the first ti he had taken such a proactive, direct approach over sothing as small as a subordinate’s private matter.
“...Um.”
“Yes?”
“Are you really okay with this?”
And another unusual point—Parsha, who normally avoided expressing personal opinions in front of her master, kept questioning Whitney’s decision.
“There’s no need for concern.”
“...Yes, I’d like to believe that, but...”
“I understand why you’re worried.”
Even Parsha, seeing Whitney’s calm, knowing expression, could only look confused, so unlike her usual cocky deanor.
“But don’t worry. What you fear will not happen.”
“.......”
“And honestly, I like that attitude.”
As Whitney’s soft whisper brushed her ear, Parsha froze.
“I prefer rebellious subordinates over passive ones.”
Leaving the dazed Parsha behind, Whitney began walking forward, his gaze still cold.
“.......”
And the one who was the most tense at that mont was none other than Lunelle herself.
‘...What are you thinking?’
She knew her master had often pulled off unbelievable feats.
And she believed it was her duty not to mix personal feelings into those matters.
But this ti.
For the first ti, Lunelle harbored doubts toward her master.
‘The knight’s oath I swore to you... is my everything.’
Past or present, Lunelle was soone obsessed with the sword.
And the contract with Whitney, bound by the knight’s oath, was the last reason she could continue wielding a sword.
Though her broken mana circuit had been partially repaired, Lunelle knew.
Her body and skills hadn’t yet fully recovered.
Even though she had managed to reconstruct her sword aura, in her recent spars with Cecil, she was starting to struggle again.
The reason, just as Whitney had said, was clear—
Her "consciousness" was not fully restored.
Thus, the only one who held the key to her complete recovery was Whitney Ringaarden.
‘Could it be... that he’s about to abandon now?’
Steadying her trembling hand as she adjusted her grip on her sword, Lunelle tried to erase the creeping fear from her face.
Maybe Whitney, who had been quietly observing her all this ti, had finally judged her unfit.
And with the lucky arrival of her siblings, strong enough to face her, he saw this as a perfect opportunity to sever the oath.
“...You have a nice expression right now.”
“...Ah.”
Lunelle, who had been biting her lip and now sweating coldly, flinched at the whisper she heard from beside her and turned her head.
“So Sir Lunelle can make such complicated expressions too.”
“I-I apologize....”
“No, I’m not scolding you.”
As Lunelle reflexively tried to apologize to Whitney, who had sohow co right next to her and was closely studying her face, Whitney simply shook his head and said sothing she couldn’t quite grasp.
“Rather, I find that expression very much to my liking.”
“...What?”
“...My Lunelle is better that way.”
The words that followed left Lunelle staring wide-eyed.
“I don't want an emotionless tool. I want a companion I can trust to guard my back.”
“My Lord, I...”
“In that sense, I like the expression you have right now.”
Only then did Lunelle realize that her face was unusually flushed, and she hurried to compose her expression.
“Blindly following orders is enough for a loyal subordinate.
But a true companion should be able to question and express opinions.”
As Whitney continued in an even more serious voice, Lunelle’s eyes began to waver little by little.
“...Forgive my rudeness, but may I ask one question?”
“As much as you like.”
When Lunelle suddenly lifted her head to ask, Whitney quietly smiled and listened closely.
“Will I still be able to remain your sword in the future?”
And for a brief mont, silence fell over the surroundings.
“Instead of answering... I’ll show you.”
“......!”
“Who your master truly is.”
The mont Whitney broke the silence and gently placed his hand on the back of Lunelle’s neck—
“...Hhk!?”
Lunelle, caught completely off guard, let out a small cry and collapsed onto the ground as her legs gave out.
“.......”
At the sa ti, a suffocating stillness fell over the garden.
“M-My Lord. This is...?”
“...You should know already.”
As Lunelle, now sweating as if she were laboring under the blazing sun, looked up at him in disbelief, Whitney answered with a light smile.
“I was originally planning to do this after the knight interviews were over, but I figured now would be a better ti.”
“Ah...!”
“Besides, I’ve recently gotten the hang of handling the power of domination, so I should be able to finish this much faster without any grand preparations like last ti.”
Whitney’s explanation was very kind, but even without it, Lunelle already knew what was happening to her.
“Lunelle, this is my answer to your question.”
“A-ha... haha....”
“As long as you remain under , your sword shall never falter.”
She could feel it vividly—the chilling power that had been steadily piercing into her ever since she beca Whitney’s sword, now sinking into her soul and restoring her broken mana circuit.
“...I'm glad... I'm glad I chose to beco your sword...”
Despite the excruciating pain, enough to make an ordinary person faint instantly, Lunelle’s lips curled into a bright smile.
***
“Ugh, uhuhuhu, huhuhu....”
“.......”
Although the two reaffird a touching bond of lord and knight, to everyone else—including the Misthylene siblings—the sight before them was... a little different.
– Goooooo....
Right before the real duel began, Lunelle had suddenly collapsed after Whitney grabbed the back of her neck.
The sight of her being enveloped by gray, tentacle-like smoke streaming from Whitney’s hand was more than enough to create various misunderstandings.
“Ehehe, hehe....”
Even as she sweated in pain, Lunelle’s twisted smile only added to the eerie spectacle.
“Co now, Lunelle. Show them.”
And yet, the most chilling part of it all was Whitney, who smiled brightly while pouring so unknown power into her.
“Show them that you are my sword.”
The combination of Lunelle’s distorted expression and Whitney’s unsettling smile would, later on, remain a vivid nightmare for the mansion’s servants who happened to witness the scene.
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