Chapter 69
“…….”
Right after Daphne’s appearance, the training ground quickly became quiet.
Even the children who were fighting far away from Jo stopped their punches and turned to look at Daphne. That’s how impactful Daphne’s appearance was.
“Uh, uh…… Hic!”
Jo was so surprised that he started hiccuping. But Daphne, whether he did that or not, crossed her arms and cast an indifferent gaze downward.
Daphne pointed at Jo’s knee touching the ground with a chin gesture and said.
“Your knee touched, so you’re eliminated.”
“N-No……. Th-This is a sudden attack…….”
“Aha. If it’s a surprise attack, does that mean you can come back to life even if you die? Even if you say that after dying, no one can hear it.”
“B-But this is cowardly……!”
“I’m originally cowardly. What are you gonna do about it. Get lost, don’t annoy me.”
Jo made a ‘hiik’ sound and backed away while sitting down.
Then he looked around, but the noble children who had been giggling similarly to him were all pretending not to know Jo.
Jo ground his teeth in betrayal, but he couldn’t just blame them.
Well. What can you do in front of ‘that’ rascal? Daphne had a temper, but anyway, she was the only lady of the archduke’s family. Being able to act big as a viscount’s child was only in front of commoners.
“Eliminated ones, get out.”
Daphne cracked her knuckles and looked around.
“What are you all doing? Not attacking?”
Even saying this, the children hesitated and didn’t rush at Daphne.
Looking closely, all the children’s faces looking at her were pale. Daphne frowned and said.
“Are you really not attacking?”
The current Daphne, for now, wanted to quickly end this damn test.
During the second test, it seems she ran too long anyway.
No matter how much she calculated and adjusted her breathing like long-distance running, there was still a limit with this weak body.
So she wanted to quickly end the third test or whatever and lie down to rest. To do that, defeating these guys herself was the fastest way. But why are these bastards so shrunk.
“Argh, these weak bastards!”
Daphne, full of anger, jumped high toward
a child standing nearby, and with a spinning back kick, blew away the child’s face.
“If you don’t attack, you’ll end up the same.”
As if those words were the fuse, the children each started clenching their fists tightly.
“A-Attack……! Here I come!”
“Aaaah!”
They started rushing at each other and punching. No, I said attack me, why are they fighting among themselves.
Daphne, watching that, frowned and ran around here and there to create eliminated ones as soon as possible.
It was then.
Boom!
“Ah, that startled me.”
A kick flew right above Daphne. Daphne, who narrowly avoided the attack, widened her eyes and looked at the child who attacked her. The child was the black-haired boy who moved first in both the second and third tests.
“Three people…… That’s too bad.”
The boy clicked his tongue and rushed at Daphne again.
Whoosh! A punch fast unlike a child grazed Daphne’s cheek.
Look at this? Daphne’s lips curved up into an arc.
“Oh ho. You fight quite well.”
Daphne said calmly while dodging his attacks, but the child didn’t respond at all and kept rushing at Daphne.
However, no attack reached Daphne. Because Daphne evaded all his attacks with just one step.
“But it doesn’t work on me. You’re far off.”
“……You.”
At Daphne’s provocation, the child’s tightly closed lips opened.
“Guys like you.”
The child ground his teeth and glared at Daphne.
“Always don’t treat people like people.”
“What?”
“Do you like looking down on people like
that?”
“……When did I?”
“Always looking at us with contemptuous eyes as if we’re trash!”
The child didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to Daphne’s words.
His half-unfocused eyes were distorted with anger, and he looked like he had lost reason.
“You guys have a future even if you fail here! So why! Why take my spot!”
Daphne could then see the clothes the child was wearing.
Shabby and ragged appearance. The exposed arms and legs were full of scars. Commoner, no, seems like a pauper.
“Why do guys who aren’t even desperate! Why steal our last hope!”
“…….”
Come to think of it, this child rushed at a noble first and hit him as soon as the third test started.
It seems his anger toward nobles is indescribably large.
Daphne felt a bit ambivalent.
Did I bully you? Why are you raging at me, what do you want me to do—half the mind, how hard must it have been to express it like this—half the mind.
The emotion that surged was the former, but as a great dragon, she couldn’t hit a pitiful human just because she was annoyed.
So Daphne didn’t attack the child, dodged here and there, and opened her mouth.
“I can’t dare say I understand your feelings, but still, there’s one thing I can say.”
“Shut up!”
“You’re not the only one who’s desperate.”
At Daphne’s words, the child’s eyes shook slightly.
“Of course, your desperation and my desperation have different weights. But even so, don’t conclude that I have no desperation.”
“Ha?”
The child twisted his lips. As if asking when they shook, deep anger settled in those eyes again.
“What could a guy like you who has everything be desperate about? Don’t pretend to understand, don’t pretend to empathize! Do you think I don’t know your tricks?”
“You’re throwing a fit even when I’m trying to comfort you. Well. Kids at this age run wild like colts, so maybe it’s unavoidable.”
At that moment, a ‘peep!’ whistle sound was heard. It seems 30 people are left and the test is over. Realizing this, Daphne leaped her body as is.
“What the hell are you…… Ack!”
And performed a flying kick on the child. The hit child fell backward and rolled on the ground.
Ah, did I kick too hard. Feeling awkward, Daphne scratched her cheek and approached the sprawled child.
“Did getting hit once bring you to your senses?”
“Wh-What?”
The child got up abruptly in bewilderment.
“I’ve been sane all along! You’re the one saying weird things……!”
“Just as I don’t know you, you don’t know
me.”
“Ack!”
The child, hit on the shin by Daphne, jumped up and down clutching the hit leg.
“So you can’t recklessly blame me.”
“This damn bitch……!”
The child rushed at Daphne again, but again, no fist reached Daphne. Daphne shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the child.
“It seems you’re pass up to you, so no reason to resent me.”
“…….”
The child then somewhat came to his senses and looked around. Including himself, total 30 people. He passed.
But he wasn’t purely happy. Because he knew well that the reason he didn’t fail was because Daphne went easy on him.
“You…….”
The child ground his teeth and glared at Daphne. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say. The words clumped with anger repeated gathering and scattering.
“See you at the training institute. Then I’ll properly face you.”
Daphne said while patting the child’s shoulder.
“Good job anyway. From now on, only good things will happen.”
And then passed by the child.
“……Good job?”
The child stared at Daphne with wide eyes, but Daphne didn’t turn back to him. The child’s mouth hardened into a straight line.
I hate all nobles.
So, it was so humiliating to receive pity from that hateful noble, and amid that, he felt pathetic for being happy about passing thanks to it.
‘……Daphne, was it.’
The child, Joshua, glared piercingly at Daphne’s back and muttered.
“Next time, I’ll win.”
Definitely.
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By Anna 💓
