Chapter 4
With each cut of the conversation, Léonard’s face grew redder. With just a slight lowering of his gaze, one could see his tightly clenched fists trembling.
‘It’s working better than I thought. If I play my cards right, I might get a hit in.’
Mia thought to herself, suppressing the smile that was creeping onto her lips. Seeing Léonard react so intensely to her father’s story led her to believe that the Marquis Léonard was either extremely strict or, conversely, a very affectionate father.
‘Considering the stories I’ve heard, it’s probably the former.’
Mia seized his wrist as he stumbled over his words in an attempt to argue against her. As Léonard, startled, struggled to find words to retaliate, Mia asked him a question.
“Léonard. You must have some respect for your father, right?”
“What kind of bullshit is that! Because your abilities are lacking, now you’re trying to play mind games?”
Mia beckoned him closer with a flick of her finger. So naturally did she command him that Léonard took a step forward instinctively, only to realize his mistake.
Unfortunately for him, Mia was faster than his retreat.
Her voice, unmasked in its delight, whispered something to Léonard.
And after a long moment of shock, Léonard finally exploded.
“Who the hell are you trying to drag into this, you bitch!”
His patience finally ran out as he grabbed Mia by her collar.
His legs dangled in mid-air, unable to reach the ground. Yet the expression on Mia’s face was so relaxed that seeing a large man trying to intimidate a small woman felt less threatening.
Perhaps infuriated by her calm demeanor, Léonard raised his fist.
“…Huh?”
His punch, thrown with all his might, missed its mark entirely. In the next moment, the hand that had been gripping Mia loosened its hold, and with a thud, Léonard lost his balance and fell to the ground, his white uniform now stained with muddy footprints.
It all happened before he could even comprehend the situation.
With a flutter of her cloak, Mia lightly landed on the ground. The face he had been looking up at was now beneath her feet.
The cocky expression he wore was now twisted in distress. Mia burst into a sharp laugh.
“To think that even an officer of your rank would have such poor training. At this rate, how can you expect to win a war? I’ll be reporting this to the commander.”
Her mocking voice pierced Léonard’s ears.
“You, you bastard! Just because you got lucky once doesn’t mean you can act like this!”
Léonard shouted, his face crimson with rage. Mia found it quite amusing.
Even though she had clearly kicked him down, he was already trying to rise again, which showed some tenacity worth acknowledging. Whether this foolish resilience would serve him well was another matter.
Staggering to regain his footing, Léonard charged at Mia once more. Though she saw him coming, she made no effort to evade, and he seemed quite affronted by that fact.
Whoosh, swish.
His blind punches sliced through the air, but not once did they connect with Mia. She easily avoided his attacks by twisting her body and taking a few steps away.
She didn’t even bother to counterattack. Her attitude of “come at me if you dare” seemed to prick at Léonard’s pride. As she effortlessly dodged his light movements time and again, it felt as if he was being toyed with.
“Pfft.”
Seeing his face turning red as if it might burst, Mia couldn’t help but let out a suppressed laugh.
“How dare you…!”
It seemed he was quite displeased at being laughed at, but anger alone wouldn’t accomplish anything. Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself sprawled on the dirt, having been tripped by Mia’s kick. Shortly after, a solid hoof trampled his chest. This was the second time today that his uniform had gotten dirty.
“Your tenacity is quite excessive compared to your abilities.”
Mia muttered.
Léonard struggled to free himself from the humiliating position he was in, grabbing Mia’s ankle as he thrashed around. Ultimately, his efforts only led to another painful encounter with Mia’s black shoe. Thud. Mia kicked Léonard in the chin, and the sound of the impact echoed as his head snapped back.
Mia found some amusement in the situation, but Léonard, having been toyed with by what he deemed an easy opponent, surely felt differently. The anger in his eyes gradually intensified.
“You’re just a fake without divine power…!”
With a roar fueled by rage, a pain that felt like her side was being crushed enveloped Mia.
“Gah…!”
Mia instinctively bent over, her body already accustomed to various aches and injuries, but this attack was on a different level from physical wounds.
‘He’s using divine power…!’
The realization came too late. Now, it was Mia who lay on the ground.
Her mind went blank, making it difficult to think clearly. It felt as if her entire body was being torn apart.
Ironically, the greatest weakness of the goddess’s hero was divine power. Mia’s body had a pronounced rejection reaction to attacks that utilized divine power.
While she had managed to adapt to close-quarters combat on the battlefield, including unconventional fighting styles, she had no choice but to succumb to attacks employing divine power.
“Why on earth did the goddess choose someone like you as a hero?”
Mia had no energy left to respond to Léonard’s smug taunts, having just been trampled upon. All her senses were heightened due to the pain she was experiencing.
A large military boot came flying toward Mia’s face.
‘I need to avoid it.’
The persistent pain made it difficult to react beyond mere squirming.
Desperately, Mia curled her body into a ball.
‘Still, if I can reduce the area that can be hit somehow…’
Mia wished for this moment to pass quickly. Taking a hit wouldn’t be the end of the world. Léonard was fundamentally lacking in close-quarters combat skills; if she could just slip out of the influence of divine power while he was off guard, she believed she could subdue him somehow…
But the moment she had been longing for never arrived.
“François Léonard. What’s going on here?”
Just as he was about to act, a voice like ice rang out from behind him.
“…Commander.”
Etienne stood there silently, and Léonard knelt before him. The awkward angle of his arms suggested this was not an act of his own will. Mia suspected that it was the effect of Etienne’s divine power bringing him into line.
“You’re not unaware that a disrespectful attitude is punishable even during peacetime.”
Léonard had no response. Or rather, it seemed more accurate to say he couldn’t respond. Though he opened his mouth to answer, all that came out was a growl, reminiscent of a beast.
Mia suddenly realized that Léonard was straining to move his arms. Given the strained sounds coming from him and the white light constricting his shoulders, this too was likely Etienne’s doing.
“So, you weren’t aware that during wartime, you could be dealt with summarily?”
Etienne’s sharp voice reprimanded Léonard. His expression and constrained movements appeared even more painful than before.
Etienne scoffed.
“You couldn’t possibly have been unaware of that. So how should I interpret this situation?”
Mia closed her eyes. Even back in the past, she felt incredibly powerless.
***
The situation concluded with Léonard losing consciousness. It was practically impossible to carry out a summary execution for a failed incident, and Mia’s position in the military was not strong enough to overlook the Léonard family, which was too influential to be trampled without consequence.
For some reason, Etienne seemed angrier than Mia, but considering that he had taken such a strong stance, it was surprising for her.
“The position of deputy commander doesn’t grant you that much authority, you know.”
Mia spoke, voicing a question that had long remained unresolved. Even as a superior officer, there shouldn’t be such a significant difference between a strategic officer and a deputy commander. So what gave him the audacity to attack the daughter of Blanchard?
Etienne sighed before answering.
“He was already a problematic soldier from the time he enlisted. Oddly enough, he was quiet whenever it was time for promotion, and although he advanced late, he continued to stir up trouble after joining the military. Most of it was related to scuffles with superiors.”
“It sounds like you’re implying I should have been his superior.”
“You’re not a superior, but you’re treated as the same rank.”
“Hmm…”
Mia fell silent at the reply that seemed so obvious. It was hard to understand how the military’s system was functioning.
—
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