SOTBW - 107

There had been many soldiers who stared at Najane before. Since she and Maximón were the only ones living in the residence, it was inevitable that she would attract attention. But this time, something felt different. Najane, being particularly sensitive to the gaze of others, immediately noticed it.

Even when she lived as a servant, she had occasionally suffered from the kind of stares she was getting today. Once, when she had to visit the barracks to gather all the bedding for washing, some soldiers whistled while watching the servants roll up their sleeves and busily work. Some rude soldiers even stood by the door, slapping the servants’ behinds every time they passed through.

They enjoyed watching the servants blush and feel embarrassed, blatantly ogling their chests and legs. To those soldiers, the servants were not people who cleaned, washed, or prepared food, but rather sexually vulnerable beings.

Now, Najane felt the same unpleasant gaze again. Before, no soldier had looked at her like that. Not even Maximón would dare do so, but more importantly, Najane was someone who used sword energy. Just that fact alone made her no easy target.

“Actually, we heard a rumor...”

A soldier in front of Najane hesitated, lowering his head and murmuring softly.

“...That you were a slave...”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“...I heard, uh, that you were a sex slave...”

Ah, so this was it. The thing she had feared had happened, but Najane remained calm. Hadn’t she anticipated this situation? Still, even though she had prepared herself, it was impossible not to feel conflicted.

To think that people’s opinions and gazes would be so easily swayed by something like that. Slaves, who were waiting for their new masters in chains, didn’t choose that life by their own will. Najane stared at the soldier in silence for a moment, then let out a short sigh.

“Do I look vulgar to you?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not a sex slave. I was trafficked to Bastronia while fleeing the Astien Empire. I was a slave then, but I’ve always been just an ordinary person. But you, just because you heard that I was a sex slave, you’ve been eyeing me up and down. Did I suddenly seem easy to you? Did you think you could do something to me just by showing a little force?”

The soldiers fell silent at Najane’s question. They looked scared, as if they feared Najane would report them to Maximón. They didn’t feel guilty. Rather, they feared the punishment from Maximón if Najane were to tell him.

Najane glanced at the soldiers lined up along the wall before turning her back with a dejected expression. This time, no uncomfortable stares followed her. She walked without looking back.

Once she had walked far enough away from the residence that it was out of sight, Najane stopped and placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was racing so fast that beads of sweat formed on the tip of her nose. She had been quite startled when she heard the rumor about her being a sex slave. She hadn’t mentioned the curse of the billy goat at the office, but it seemed the rumor had already spread.

Najane closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had handled it calmly, but it had been very frightening. If she had shown any sign of panic or failed to speak properly, she would have been looked down upon by the soldiers. In reality, she had been terrified. Even though she had prepared herself, when so many men stared at her with intent, it felt like every hair on her body stood on end. Or perhaps she had overreacted. Maybe she had become frightened too easily, afraid of being the subject of gossip...

Now that she had experienced something like this, she understood. Maximón truly was a person without prejudice. He hadn’t doubted her words when she denied being a sex slave. Was he a good person, or was he strange? Najane recalled Maximón, who had left the residence full of frustration, and turned her steps toward the training grounds.

As she approached, she heard the sound of battle cries. There hadn’t been any bell signaling the start of training, but it seemed someone had started practicing swordsmanship on their own. The number of battle cries was rather high, and it didn’t seem like just one or two people.

Najane tilted her head in confusion and made her way toward the training grounds. Strangely, all of Romsoa’s knights, except for Najane, were gathered there. The knights, holding wooden swords, would rush at someone, only to be severely beaten and fall to the ground, repeating the cycle.

Jacob and Daniel, who were considered some of Romsoa’s strongest knights, had their normally neat hair covered in sand after being knocked to the ground several times. The only person who could barely hold their ground, parrying every swift and violent sword strike, was Belshua.

Najane squatted down, narrowing her eyes, and observed the center of the training ground. Someone was clearly tormenting the knights under the guise of training. There was no need to guess who it was. Only one person could treat Romsoa’s knights like children.

Najane sighed, as if she hadn’t expected this. She remembered telling the mercenary captain once that Maximón was a person who clearly separated personal and professional matters, but now she felt that it might be better to retract that statement.

Maximón smashed a knight’s shield with his fist and then swiftly struck two knights trying to ambush him from behind with his wooden sword. The wooden sword, after hitting the knights, broke like a rotten branch. The knights, who had taken such a powerful blow, cried out in pain and rolled on the ground several times.

Throwing the broken wooden sword far away, Maximón glanced at the young soldier standing a little farther off. The young soldier, who had been blankly watching the fierce match, trembled at Maximón’s sharp gaze.

The young soldier quickly handed Maximón a new wooden sword and hurriedly left the training ground. Upon closer inspection, Najane noticed that several broken wooden swords lay scattered around the area. It seemed that Maximón was trying to control his strength.

The knights, who had rolled and crawled on the ground several times, were already in tatters. As they caught their breath while Maximón received a new wooden sword, they roared again and charged at him. Unfortunately for them, they had no choice but to keep fighting Maximón. The moment they gave up, they would have to skip lunch and continue running laps around the training ground until the sun set.

Naturally, there was no break in the middle. If they were caught walking, they would have to face Maximón again the next day—this time, not in a group but one-on-one.

After taking a few hits from Maximón, the knights quickly formed a formation. They were planning to treat Maximón as if he were a Sainth of Serith and fight him. The knights, grouped in teams of four, moved in unison with the goal of landing a single blow.

Maximón, with his hand in one pocket, scanned the knights surrounding him. Their eyes were sharp and alive. None of them seemed ready to back down.

For a brief moment, a faint smile appeared on Maximón’s face, only to disappear. At that instant, Jacob shouted and lunged at Maximón. Maximón effortlessly dodged Jacob’s attack. This marked the beginning of the knights launching themselves from the ground together. They all aimed for Maximón’s side, specifically targeting the arm holding his weapon. It was clear what they were trying to do.

At that moment, Maximón, having turned his back to avoid a shield, suddenly saw Najane in his line of sight. Having been focused on the duel, he hadn’t noticed her presence. Just as Maximón hesitated in surprise, Belshua, who had positioned herself between his side and arm, jabbed her wooden sword into his ribs, shouting, “Daniel!”

“I know!” Daniel’s voice came from above. How had he jumped? No, when had he jumped? It was unexpected, but Maximón, with his shield raised, kicked the knights charging at him away with his legs before he planned to block Daniel’s strike. However, his right arm holding the wooden sword didn’t move. Maximón, who had been looking straight ahead, finally glanced at his arm. Belshua and the other knights had pushed their weapons between his arm and the wooden sword, immobilizing him.

It had been planned from the beginning... Maximón chuckled, letting out a loud “Ha!” It was too late to counter with his other hand. Daniel’s wooden sword swiftly sliced through Maximón’s hair and landed on the ground.

The noisy training ground fell silent. Maximón quietly glanced at the cloth tied around his left forearm. The cloth had been torn vertically. Clicking his tongue lightly, Maximón let go of the wooden sword.

“Training’s over.”

With cheers, the knights who had thrown down their weapons collapsed onto the ground. Heavy breathing could be heard from all around. The young soldiers picked up the weapons the knights had discarded and brought drinks to them.

Maximón pulled down the cloth tied to his forearm and briefly glanced at Najane. Once she confirmed that the intense duel had ended, Najane descended the stairs. A few knights who noticed her waved their hands, beckoning her over. However, others did not greet her as readily and instead kept an eye on Maximón’s mood.

The rumor that Najane was a sex slave had spread widely. For some knights, it was even an insult. Especially after news spread that Gwyneth had officially confirmed the curse on Najane’s body, everyone was unsure how to treat her.

“You held a duel without me. This is blatant discrimination.”

“It wasn’t a duel.”

“Really?”

Maximón didn’t respond and glanced at Najane. His gaze seemed to ask, Do you not know that? But Najane pretended not to notice on purpose.

“Are you alright?”

“As you can see.”

Maximón casually looked down at his pants. Without thinking, Najane followed his gaze and immediately clenched her fist in frustration.

“I meant, how is your body?” Najane asked through clenched teeth. Maximón then looked at her face and dryly replied, “Oh, that.”

“Your eyes are perfectly fine. I can see them even when you’re standing in front of the knight’s main gate.”

“You lied when you said you couldn’t see in the day, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re shameless.”

“Did you just realize that?”

Unaware that other knights were watching, Maximón and Najane quietly bickered.

It was a conversation that could be seen as that of lovers.