After dropping Shale off, Abel regrouped with Ise and returned to the knight order.
Since it was still before evening, he decided to at least stop by and greet Kashe at the main castle.
If he didn’t, she’d be in a terrible mood later… and that was scary…
He couldn’t exactly drag Ise along just to check in on Kashe.
Besides, no matter who she was dealing with, Ise wasn’t the type to offer even a single word of flattery, so there was absolutely no point in bringing her along.
Moreover, even knights didn’t have the freedom to enter the main castle which was a private residence of the count’s family and also an important facility. Unless they were invited.
So Ise prioritized maintaining her gear and reporting to the knight order instead.
Thanks to his status as a distant relative, Abel had free access to the castle and entered it alone.
When he looked out into the courtyard, he spotted his target Kashe.
Beside her was the ceremonial knight, Stalfon.
They seemed to be working on something…
Apparently, Kashe was training with a sword.
She was giving instructions to prepare straw targets for cutting practice.
There were a few people Abel didn’t recognize in the courtyard, likely guests.
It’s said that bundles of straw soaked in water have a weight and density similar to a human body.
Just preparing those cutting targets was no small task, so someone else probably did it for her.
Kashe held a blade in her hands.
In this world, swords had a structure similar to the Japanese katana from his previous life.
They were well-suited for both cutting and thrusting.
Abel felt that it was probably his influence that had led Kashe to start using such a sword.
After all, he was the only one who had ever taught her swordsmanship.
There were skilled knights in the castle, as well as official instructors. However, it seemed her father Berle had forbidden anyone else from teaching Kashe.
As Abel watched, it looked like the preparations were finished. Kashe who had been waiting in anticipation raised the sword high overhead.
She was wearing a sleeveless outfit, leaving her smooth underarms fully visible.
It was a strange thing to notice in this context, but oddly charming…
“Deyahhhhhh!!”
Kashe let out a fierce battle cry.
She charged forward with the energy of a sprinter at the start of a race and delivered a diagonal downward slash.
The blade flashed—
The straw target was sliced clean in two.
With a returning stroke, she followed up with an upward slash from below.
It was a difficult combo move, but she executed it flawlessly.
Then came a horizontal sweep, almost perfectly parallel to the horizon.
Once again, the straw target was cleanly severed.
Abel couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.
Her technique was astonishingly sharp.
If the edge alignment wasn’t perfect, the blade wouldn’t bite into the straw properly, and things could go terribly wrong.
The cut might bounce off, or worse, the sword itself could bend or break under the strain.
This wasn’t a skill one could pick up casually. It took real training.
“You’re very skilled, Lady Kashe.”
“Oh, Abel! You’ve returned.”
“Yes, just a little while ago.”
“I see. Well, it’s quite admirable of you to come see me right away.”
Kashe said this in a proud, somewhat arrogant tone. But there was a certain charm to it.
So Abel didn’t find it unpleasant at all.
He also knew how much stress she was under from her restrictive environment.
Just then, there was a sudden burst of applause.
Abel turned to see who it was and spotted a man who was probably a guest around forty years old and overweight.
He wore an extravagant military uniform adorned with embroidery and tassels, along with a gaudy gold necklace.
It was a thick chain of pure gold.
The jewelry on his fingers was equally excessive. He had multiple rings embedded with large red and green gemstones.
His face was fleshy and sagging, giving off an unmistakable air of lechery.
His nose was wide and flattened, and his lips were thick.
He even licked his lips.
“Well now, splendid! Absolutely splendid!”
“…And you are?”
“I am Viscount Bourmarte. I’m here today to provide a loan to Sir Lopez Highwand.”
Then, without being asked, Viscount Bourmarte launched into a one-sided monologue.
He went on about how he was arranging a loan of two thousand gold coins to support the financially troubled Highwand family.
His gaze toward Kashe was sticky, oozing with that unmistakable vulgarity of a man sizing up a woman like an object.
Kashe kept her expression locked in a subtle, polite smile suitable for formal occasions.
Throughout the long-winded speech, she gave only the bare minimum of nods, barely saying a word herself.
It was the kind of poise expected from a noblewoman.
If she were a married lady in charge of hosting, clever conversation would be necessary. But as an unmarried daughter, taking initiative in such a setting was not allowed.
Abel could feel exactly what Kashe was thinking.
This is so annoying. Please let this be over soon…
That was surely what she was thinking.
***
Kashe had turned fifteen.
Her beauty was so remarkable that it was talked about not only among the Highwand knights but throughout the castle town as well.
Clear eyes, a lively manner, and an aura of intelligence and willpower radiated from her whole being.
Naturally, people often wondered aloud who the young lady of Highwand would eventually marry.
In the world of nobility, she was already at an age where an engagement would no longer be unusual.
On a clear autumn day, as the season deepened, Kashe was unusually summoned by her brother Lopez.
When she entered the study, she found the butler, Keifard, along with Monke.
There was also the man she had seen before, though she assumed he had nothing to do with her.
To be frank, Kashe did not get along with her two brothers.
Born of a different mother and much younger than them, she had been ignored since childhood.
Their ways of thinking and acting never aligned, and not once had they bonded as true siblings.
For that reason, she trusted the butler Keifard far more than her own brothers.
But now Kashe noticed something was wrong.
When she looked at Keifard’s face, for some reason his expression was twisted with pain.
It was highly unusual for the butler, who was always calm and faced any hardship with strict sincerity.
“Brother Lopez, what is this matter you’ve called me for?”
“It’s good news. A marriage proposal.”
“Yours, brother?”
“Yours!”
“Mine?!”
The answer was beyond anything she expected.
Her heart pounded like a drum inside her chest.
Who could the match possibly be?
For some reason, Abel’s face came to mind.
A boy with a handsome face, but a somewhat gloomy look in his eyes…
“Your betrothed is Viscount Bourmarte, here in our presence. The Highwand family owes him much. By becoming his relatives, the house will be strengthened all the more.”
Her brother’s voice sounded as if it were echoing from some distant place. Like the voice of a malicious spirit.
Bourmarte’s fat-covered face twisted into a smile. It was really not that pleasant.
Perhaps he believed it was his best smile, but to Kashe, it looked like the writhing of some unknown monster.
A wave of dizziness washed over her.
Her feet seemed to crumble beneath her like sand, leaving her feeling as though she were floating in midair.
“B-Big brother… What about Father and Mother?”
“Viscount Bourmarte’s house was originally that of a great merchant family from the commercial city of Cape. The previous Viscount Bourmarte earned his title through financial contributions to the Empire. The current viscount, through estate management and trade, earns more than ten thousand gold coins a year…”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing! What about Father and Mother?!”
“Father is too busy with the war. He cannot return, and he said I may decide in his place. As for your mother, she cannot be reached.”
“That’s a lie!”
Kashe cried out instinctively, but deep down she knew it was not.
From her mother Tiffania, receiving even one letter in six months was rare.
As the favored concubine of her father, Berle, her mother had long been estranged from the Highwand household, keeping her distance.
And her father, most crucially, was indifferent to his daughter.
Kashe realized that she had no one….no ally anywhere.
She had never imagined things would come to this.
It felt as though the world had suddenly transformed, pressing down upon her with terrifying force.
So this was what it meant to be cast adrift, with nothing to rely on but oneself.
The shock was so great that her mind refused to work properly.
Viscount Bourmarte watched her turmoil with delight.
What a beautiful girl. He was overcome with fierce desire.
Even her defiant gaze thrilled him.
If he could take possession of that spirited, elegant, innocent body, he would not begrudge spending thousands of gold coins.
And besides, it was not a gift but a loan. With proper collateral, there would be no loss.
He would gain this exquisite body, and in time, recover the money as well.
It was a bargain too good to resist.
He could not stop smiling.
Just imagining how he would train this girl called Kashe sent shivers down his spine.
She might be capable of enhancing her body with magic, but with shackles on her wrists and ankles, she would be helpless. Spread her limbs wide and pin her to the wall…
Or perhaps forbidding her from standing at all would be amusing.
Allowing her only to remain on all fours…
No.
He nearly burst out laughing.
That would be far too revealing.
As Kashe stood frozen, unable even to reply, Monke spoke with a sly, nasty grin.
“What? If anything, the age gap will be a good thing. Dating someone your own age is nothing more than child’s play. You should learn a few things from the Viscount. That’ll change your thinking. Even I only recently came to appreciate the appeal of older women.”
And with that, Lopez continued without giving her a chance to object.
“Go take a walk in the garden together. Talking things out will make things clear. Understood? Kashe. Be absolutely respectful.”
Kashe, escorted by Viscount Bourmarte, left the office.
Still dazed and barely conscious, she walked through the vast garden inside the castle walls.
Beside her, Viscount Bourmarte was talking endlessly, as if his tongue had been greased.
He mostly talked about things and money.
What kind of art he owned, how developed the port city of Cape in his home territory was, how his mansion was about the same size as this castle, how he had over two hundred servants, and so on…
None of it resonated with Kashe.
What burned in Kashe’s heart was her passion for sword and magic.
To train herself, become stronger, and protect the people from dangerous monsters and bandits.
Was that future she had dreamed of about to vanish?
Riding her horse across the plains, sleeping beneath the starry sky in a tent…had that all been a foolish fantasy?
Even if those goals didn’t match her status, shouldn’t she at least be allowed a small dream?
To break free from the imposing yet narrow castle and go out into the wide world.
To see the people walking the streets, to buy strange things on a whim…
To play with Abel…
Kashe looked blankly at Viscount Bourmarte.
She didn’t know his exact age, but he looked to be about forty.
The same age as her father…
A political marriage.
She had heard it was normal in the world of nobility, but now that it was actually happening, it felt like a terrible dream.
Viscount Bourmarte reached out and took her hand.
Normally, she wouldn’t even let him touch her, but she no longer had the strength to resist.
His hand was sweaty, with a slimy, sticky feel.
Would she really be wrapped in the arms of this lump of fat, desired only for her body, living out her days in some mansion for the next ten years or more…?
As the world around her began to lose color, she noticed two figures approaching from ahead.
It was Abel and Ise.
Abel had sharp eyes.
He had quickly spotted Kashe walking with someone.
And was shocked.
She was holding hands with a man.
It was that fat middle-aged man he had seen once before.
Sure, some middle-aged men like Walter were rugged and incredibly attractive….but this guy was different.
He looked like a walking mass of fat and lust.
—Kashe, why are you holding hands with someone like that…?
Kashe’s beautiful purple eyes that were usually bright and brimming with curiosity now seemed drained of all life by the weight of humiliation.
But the moment she spotted Abel, her expression changed. Life returned to her eyes in an instant, and soon they were blazing with light.
Abel felt it. An unknown power, perhaps it was magic, erupted from within Kashe like a violent volcano.
“Abel!”
Kashe shouted his name.
She didn’t even know why.
The voice just came out.
She shook off the hand of Viscount Bourmarte who felt like a lump of grease.
Abel looked at her in shock.
In that instant, she understood everything.
The one she wanted by her side was him and no one else.
“Graaaaaah!”
With a scream, Kashe drove her fist straight into Viscount Bourmarte’s face.
It was a blow amplified by full-body magical strengthening…and a surprise attack on top of that.
Her fist sank deep into his cheek.
Bourmarte went crashing to the ground, flat on his back, unable to react.
Yellowed teeth shattered and scattered from his mouth.
“Who do you think you’re touching?! You lowly viscount! You insolent pig!”
She kicked him, stomped on him, and straddled him to rain down more punches.
Each blow broke his nose and distorted his face.
Wet, heavy impacts echoed…thud! smack!
“Actually, calling you a pig is an insult to pigs! You greasy bug, lower than a beast!”
Viscount Bourmarte sobbed and groaned in agony.
Abel who was still unclear on what had happened had no choice but to restrain Kashe from behind.
“Kashe! Calm down! You’re inside the castle!”
“Inside the castle?! Don’t joke with me! Abel! Help me! Save me!”
“Look, calm down… You’re the one who’s about to kill someone here.”
“They’re trying to make me marry that man!”
“…What?”
Even Abel was at a loss for words at this.
The situation was so ridiculous that he didn’t even know what to say.
Judging by Kashe’s desperate expression, it seemed to be true.
He’d never seen that look on her face before.
Abel first focused on getting her to stop the mount position….just like a seasoned boxer would.
Kashe’s fists were soaked red with blood.
A chill ran down Abel’s spine.
When he took a proper look, Viscount Bourmarte was… in terrible shape.
He probably wouldn’t die, but he definitely couldn’t be left like that.
Abel quickly poured strong magic into healing the wounds.
He managed to fix the broken nose and shattered cheekbone.
However, he hadn’t yet mastered any spell that could restore knocked-out permanent teeth, so there was nothing he could do about those.
Though his injuries had healed, Viscount Bourmarte seemed to be in deep psychological shock and had collapsed, unable to stand.
Without giving him time to recover, Abel gently began persuading her.
Sure, he was a crude man, but it wasn’t enough to justify having his face caved in.
Somehow, Abel had to smooth things over and cover the whole mess up.
“Hey, you’re the Viscount, right? Look, if you marry her, you’ll either get killed or end up as her slave. Maybe you wanted her because she’s got a pretty face and figure, but if you’re picking a wife, personality is what matters most. A guy like you can do better, right? No need to go for this, okay?”
Viscount Bourmarte trembled and shook his head furiously.
With his mind finally catching up, he took off running.
Kashe was breathing hard with his shoulders heaving.
Her elegant features were drawn tight with fury.
“Th-That’s good, right? He’s definitely given up. I mean, unless he’s some perverted man with very specific tastes…”
Kashe muttered with a grim expression.
“If… if even that wasn’t enough… then I have no choice but to do it.”
Abel grasped what she meant by “no choice”.
By “do it”, she meant “kill him”. Pure and simple.
“Man, being a noble sounds rough. I’m really glad I’m not one. Being a commoner isn’t so bad.”
“Abel! Are you serious!? This isn’t someone else’s problem! You’re from Highwand too! You’re fighting alongside me, remember?!”
Kashe clenched her teeth, with veins bulging on her forehead.
She had the fierce aura of a young general going into battle.
Abel, for his part, had no desire whatsoever to be dragged into that war.
“Well… yeah. That was pretty bad. Seriously awful.”
For now, Abel decided to wash the bloodstained fists of Kashe.
He cast a water spell to conjure clean water from his palm and began rubbing it over Kashe’s hands.
“Wash them better!”
A sharp voice cut through.
“Y-Yes!”
He carefully washed each of Kashe’s long, slender fingers one by one.
The blood had soaked in deeply and didn’t come off easily.
When Abel glanced up at her face, he noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Maybe the adrenaline from the intense fight hadn’t worn off yet…
Kashe, watching as Abel patiently washed her hands, felt a strange sense of comfort.
Her whole body, not just her face, was starting to feel a little warm.
This… might not be so bad.
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