WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 8: Whose Body Did You Touch?

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A brilliant reddish-gold Ring flickered.

Even as they watched the Ring spin at the root of his heart, everyone had to doubt their own eyes.

No one dared so much as breathe.

Julian, standing before those flames, was the most shocked of all.

"You abandoned your Heart Paths and wove a Ring?"

His lips trembled.

It was a foolish, outrageous act that went far beyond a knight's common sense.

"You really abandoned Luna and wove Solar?"

"So what if I did?"

"Why? Why would you spread your wings, then break them yourself?"

Julian was one of those who could not understand Ring Knights.

Luna's Heart Paths were the white wings that soared toward the moonlit night.

A Solar Ring was the wing of a moth that burned itself to death in the sun's fire.

Not only Julian, but every knight said the same thing.

"I don't understand. Why would you do something so absurd? Why?"

"Do I need you to understand?"

Julian frowned at Astin's indifferent response.

Everyone else understood except the person himself. He had no idea how foolish and outrageous his actions were.

At this point, it was almost pitiful.

"Why does Young Master have a Sun Ring?"

"This is impossible. He had already opened two Paths, didn't he? He destroyed everything he completed and wove a Ring from scratch?"

"More importantly, when did he do it? What was he thinking? Does anyone know?"

A stir began among the watching knights.

When Astin suddenly suggested using aura, they thought he had opened another Path.

The truth was the complete opposite.

He had chosen a path with more losses than gains, or more bluntly, a path of self-destruction.

No matter how fundamental Rings were to knights, it was reckless bravado that defied common sense.

And abandoning two completed Heart Paths to weave a Ring?

He would have had better odds if he had cut off an arm before entering the duel.

"Is that some kind of handicap?"

"Do you really think it is?"

"Then why?"

"You sure love picking everything apart."

Astin rested the flat of his sword over his shoulder.

"I'm not the strange one. You are. Comfortable peace rusts a knight's sword. It may look fine on the surface, but inside, it's already rotting away."

"Do you really call that an answer?"

"Is that all I have? There's proof. Why do fewer than five Swordmasters emerge in peaceful times, while more than a dozen appear in chaotic eras?"

No matter the age, heroes were forged by turbulent times.

Astin had woven eight Rings for the first time in human history.

Lucia had not only woven seven Rings, but reached the eighth rank, surpassing Deus.

When destruction stood before them, those on the front lines entered an unprecedented prime.

That was why knights who walked safe paths were weak.

They could never compare to the Firekeeper Knights who wove Rings.

"A blade is ultimately tempered at the edge of death. A knight's duty is to use their life as firewood to heat their Ring, and as a whetstone to sharpen their blade. It's only natural."

"That is sophistry. They aren't tempered, they break. And broken swords are cast aside."

"You're all the same. Even when I tell you, you don't understand. Then you dismiss them as wraiths endlessly circling Infinite Rings, instead of respecting the knights who endure hardship."

Infinite Rings. That part was true.

"Every path has an end. Ring Knights are different. They keep cycling endlessly."

"Ha! In the end, they'll stop when they die."

"Isn't it obvious which is the more worthwhile death, stopping because you died or dying because you stopped?"

"There's no talking to you."

Julian gave up on understanding.

Astin gave up on explaining any further. It only made his mouth hurt.

"Do you know this?"

Solar's pride was the sacrifice of the many to save the world.

It could therefore be called a noble sacrifice for the few who would protect the world.

Who would believe him if he said that? They would call him insane.

"I'm the type who shows things with actions, not words."

Boom!

The dirt beneath Astin's feet rose up, leaving deep footprints behind.

Astin shot forward like an arrow.

A reddish-gold streak came rushing in, carrying explosive heat.

"!"

Julian barely reacted in time and frantically raised his sword.

Clang!!

A thunderous metallic shriek rang out.

Julian's feet were pushed helplessly backward. Two deep furrows were carved into the dirt.

'What strength!'

Astin had woven only a single Ring.

Julian, on the other hand, was an unprecedented genius who had opened three Heart Paths.

With his overwhelming density, he should have forced Astin's sword back.

He should have, yet the hand gripping his hilt tingled as if it had gone numb.

Instead of crushing Astin, they were locked in a dead-even struggle.

Julian was clearly superior in physical ability and aura density.

But obsessed with Luna, Julian could not see beyond that.

Astin's Ring did not contain Solar alone.

All the experience, insights, senses, and instincts he had accumulated were condensed within it.

Clang! Claaang!!

Relentless sword strikes tangled fiercely, leaving no room to breathe.

Cold moonlight and searing flames collided, scattering flashes of light.

"Good grief..."

Every knight watching the fierce assault broke into a cold sweat. Solar's heat made them swallow dryly.

"His level is far above ours..."

"Someone explain this to me! How can one Ring push back three Paths?"

"Young Master is Cardenos. He is the one who will become our lord."

"That still doesn't explain it! Just the other day, he was a talentless fool..."

Clang!

At a glance, their exchange appeared evenly matched.

Only those skilled with the sword noticed.

Julian was burning through stamina as though fire had fallen on his feet, while Astin scattered those sparks aside and countered with the smallest possible movements.

On top of that, Solar's heat had made Julian's breathing rough.

Fire Keepers were not affected by heat. If anything, it invigorated them.

As time passed, Julian's breathing was the one becoming more disordered from exhaustion and heat.

"Julian..."

Azelin could see it too.

She clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

Please let Julian win. Please free me from Astin.

...Azelin had only thought it at first, but eventually she could not hold back any longer.

"Julian!"

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

Regardless of who was watching, Azelin raised her voice.

"Don't lose, Julian! You're all I have! How am I supposed to live without you? Please win! Stay with me and hold me...!"

The moment Azelin's cry rang across the training ground.

"Brother Astin!"

A shrill girl's cry burst out from the other side.

It was Celine, who had arrived at the training ground late and was watching on tiptoe.

"Keep it up, Brother! Show him how terrifying you are... Ah, no, I mean how strong you are! And you're way, way more handsome than that greasy cheese!"

With Celine's cheer as the start, the Cardenos knights, who had been holding their breath, also shouted until the veins stood out in their necks.

"That's right! Young Master Astin! Crush him!"

"Show him the spirit of Cardenos! You can do it!"

"Young Master! Keep pressing him! Don't give him a moment to rest!"

Julian gritted his teeth.

The blatant hostility toward him, the cheers for Astin from the majority.

He could not bear it any longer and shut it out. He could no longer hear anything.

Julian glanced at Azelin, who watched him anxiously.

No matter what happened, he could not betray her devotion.

'Azelin. For you, I could give my life.'

Hoping his desperate feelings would reach her.

"Arghhh!!"

Clang! Clang! Boom!

Julian shouted as he swung his sword without pause.

His sword, wrapped in blue Luna, surged forward like a storm.

Dozens of explosive exchanges passed in an instant.

At some point, Julian lost his reason.

He wanted to leave Astin with an irreversible wound. He did not care if he crippled him.

Being humiliated in front of Azelin was more than he could bear.

Clang!

Astin continuously countered Julian's sword.

His breathing remained steady. The Ring's circulation was still under his control.

To Astin, Julian seemed like a blind man with his eyes open.

Consumed by excitement, every attack was like a blind sword strike.

Because of that, Julian's blade could not even graze a fold of Astin's clothing.

"I'd like to say I don't hold a grudge, but I can't lie. I'm a very honest person."

Astin had no anger over Julian taking his fiancée, Azelin.

To him, Azelin was someone whose fate did not matter either way.

What made him sick was Julian's brazen attitude. He had tried to steal a woman who clearly had a fiancé, then shamelessly challenged that fiancé to a duel.

That was the malice Astin kept buried deep inside.

Astin remained calm until the end.

Unlike someone else, he would not be consumed by emotion.

Clang!

He smoothly angled his blade and redirected the thrust.

When his decisive strike missed, Julian's upper body tilted.

Clang!

Taking advantage of Julian's broken balance, Astin's sword struck down like lightning.

"Argh!"

A sword soared into the air as if it had wings, then came crashing down.

The same result as before. It was Julian's sword.

Thud.

Julian collapsed weakly, like a puppet with its strings cut.

With defeat written across his face, he glared at Astin.

Losing his sword did not mean it was over yet.

The moment that thought crossed his mind.

Clang!

Astin, who had seized the advantage, casually threw away his own sword as well.

Julian's dazed gaze lifted.

"You want us to pick up our swords again? Don't misunderstand, Astin! That isn't mercy, it's mockery!"

"What are you talking about?"

Astin blinked.

"Did you forget the rules the referee explained? If I cripple you, I lose."

If he held back with a sword, he might still cut off an arm or leg by mistake.

They had said to use only swords as weapons, but fists were not weapons. They were part of the body.

"I won't touch anywhere else. I'm just going to beat the shit out of your face."

Astin's powerful grip seized Julian's collar as he sat on the ground.

Until then, Julian only stared at Astin with blank eyes. He did not understand what was happening.

Pow!

The instant Astin hauled Julian to his feet, he threw a punch.

"Urk!"

Julian's jaw twisted grotesquely, spraying blood. His vision flashed white.

The blow jolted Julian back to his senses.

Julian staggered backward, barely managing to stay upright.

"Y-you bastard, how dare you!"

Whoosh!

Julian's furious fist shot forward.

Astin dodged it with a slight turn of his head.

Then he twisted his waist the other way, putting his weight behind the blow.

Thud!

"Urgh!"

A heavy punch struck Julian squarely on the bridge of the nose.

Crack! Thud! Pow!

There was no aura or flashy swordsmanship to be found.

What followed was a crude, one-sided brawl more suited to a back alley than a training ground.

Thud!

"Ugh, cough... Gah!"

Thud!

Thud!

Smack!

Blows to flesh rang out one after another. Bright blood sprayed, and agonized groans burst out.

A deep cut opened above Julian's eye, blood obscuring his vision.

With half-lidded eyes, he swung his fist wildly through the air.

His fists had already only cut through empty air. Now, they could not even get close.

"Starting to think you messed up?"

"Ghh... You bastard..."

"Why? Didn't you expect this?"

Thud!

Blood streamed from Julian's mangled mouth.

The blood pouring from both nostrils blocked his nose, making his groans sound nasal.

"You should've come prepared for this. You looked down on me as a complete joke and only thought about winning. That's why this happened."

There was no rule allowing a third party to interfere in an engagement between two houses.

How reckless and brainless did he have to be to touch Cardenos's fiancée?

"You think you're a champion of justice and Azelin is some tragic woman? And I'm the third-rate villain standing in the way of your love? That's what you've been thinking all this time."

"Cough... I'll kill you... I'll kill you..."

Julian glared murderously with bloodshot eyes.

Astin had beaten him this badly, yet he still had plenty of spite in him.

"You've gone blind chasing after a woman's skirts. If you wanted a woman that badly, you should've visited a brothel. Prostitutes would treat you better than that woman."

Astin drew back his fist again.

Thud!

Julian's head snapped backward as if it would break. A shattered front tooth flew from his mouth.

"Clench your teeth. You might lose more."

"Stop! Stop it already!"

Astin knew it was Azelin without turning around.

Thud!

He did not even pretend to listen and continued punching.

He was still far from crippled. Until then, Astin could keep hitting him.

"Gurgle..."

At last, Julian foamed blood at the mouth.

His missing front teeth, swollen eyelids, broken nose bent out of shape, and eyes grotesquely rolled back and bloodshot.

Julian's sculpted good looks had been ruined beyond recognition after only a few punches.

It had all happened in mere seconds.

"Honestly, even spending emotion on the two of you feels like a waste. So why do you think I'm taking it this far? If I send him home intact, he won't stop acting like a dog with its old habits."

"Stop! The duel is over! Stop already, Astin!"

"Don't resent me too much. If it hadn't been me, someone else would have taught you a far harsher lesson someday. It only ended this lightly because it was me."

"Astin! I said stop!!"

"Fix that habit after today. Don't steal someone else's scraps just because they've gone bad."

Thud!

"Aah! Julian!"

Unable to watch any longer, Azelin pushed through the crowd and stepped onto the training ground.

She grabbed Astin's arm and blocked him with her whole body.

"Julian! Julian! Aah! Stop! He'll die at this rate!"

"People don't die that easily. And this one's pretty sturdy."

Julian's body swayed back and forth as Astin held him by the collar. He had already lost consciousness long ago.

Azelin looked around anxiously, her eyes darting everywhere.

Someone here who could help me...

"Sir Knight! The rule you mentioned! Julian won this duel! You've left him with an irreversible injury! End it now, quickly!"

"Referee, do you think this woman is right?"

"No. Those injuries are fully recoverable."

"There you have it."

"No! No! How can that possibly be recoverable?"

"This is your first time seeing blood, isn't it? You've only watched from the sidelines your whole life, so you can't even tell the difference between a lethal wound and a minor injury. In this line of work, he should consider himself lucky it ended like this."

"Astin, you monster! How can you say that? Can you even call yourself a person? How can a human being do something like this...!"

Thud!

The moment Astin let go, Julian's body dropped to the ground.

"Aah! Julian!"

Azelin caught Julian as he fell.

It would have been fortunate if that was the end of it.

Astin raised his foot toward Julian's fallen body.

"A-all right! Stop now! I said stop!!"

"You're so damn loud."

"Fine! I'll admit it! I admit it! I'll go to you!"

Azelin shut her eyes tightly and spoke.

It was an unexpected result, but she had to accept it.

Otherwise, she did not know what would happen to Julian.

"Is that enough? You did this because of me anyway. End it now! I'll keep our engagement!"

"You're putting on a whole show by yourself. Do you think I made him like this because I wanted you?"

"...What?"

"It's already over between us, no matter who wins or loses. Why would I cling to your skirt and beg you not to leave? You're the one who pretends to be innocent and not materialistic while cheating on me, you filthy whore."

"W-what did you say!?"

"If I followed my heart, I'd turn your face into pulp too. I'm only holding back because of old times. Our house will also hold you responsible for the breach."

"P-pulp? How can you insult a lady like that...! Apologize, Astin!"

"You really fucking love that word, don't you? Apologize."

Astin dug at his ear and waved his hand dismissively.

"Take that guy and get lost. Don't ever show your face here again. If you come back, you'll end up just like him."

"Cough! Cough!"

Julian vomited blood on the ground. Thick clots soaked into the dirt.

Azelin looked down at Julian with tearful eyes.

It was truly over now.

Julian had lost the duel, and the two of them would bear an indelible disgrace.

If they stayed any longer, they would only suffer more humiliation.

Swallowing her tears, Azelin sat Julian upright. Then she struggled to hoist his large body onto her back.

"Julian, Julian... Don't worry. I'll take you to Rosenthal and make sure you get treated."

No one stopped Azelin as she left the training ground.

Only cold stares followed the two of them relentlessly.

She had dragged in another man to break off an engagement, and now she was running away in such a disgraceful state.

Every knight wanted to say something, but they held back because they could not deal with House Rosenthal.

"Azelin."

There was only one person.

Someone stood in Azelin's way.

Bright eyes glared at her with uncharacteristic menace.

Celine planted her hands on her hips and snapped at her.

"You should apologize too. To my brother."

"What do you want now?"

"Why are you only caring about that greasy man and insulting my brother when you're his fiancée? You know how devoted my brother has been to you!"

"Honestly!"

Azelin walked past her without even looking at her.

Celine immediately blocked her path again.

"Apologize right now. I won't let you leave until you do."

"..."

"If you really can't do it, should I call the Duke? Let's see if you act like this in front of him too."

"Are you threatening me right now?"

"What if I am?"

"This isn't even funny. Get out of my way!"

"!"

Azelin shoved Celine's shoulder with her palm. Celine stumbled backward helplessly.

"Hey."

A voice rang out then.

Astin, who had come down from the training ground at some point, was striding toward them.

Azelin swallowed a sneer.

'So this is what he was going to do from the start.'

She knew he would act like this. Astin could never live without her.

Look at him. He could not even wait and came after her to stop her.

Threatening to break off their engagement? Showering her with insults? It had all clearly been a mistake made in anger.

Azelin looked straight at Astin with triumphant confidence.

"What is it, Astin? Are you trying to change my mind now-"

Pow!

A sudden impact struck her stomach, cutting off her words.

Azelin toppled backward in an undignified heap, and Julian rolled across the ground with her.

Azelin could not get back up. She remained frozen in that position.

Did he kick me? Astin? Me, of all people?

Azelin sharply turned her head to protest, but when she saw his face, she could not say a word.

"Whose body did you just put your hands on?"

His face was twisted like that of a demon.

Even Azelin, who had known him for years, had never seen him that angry.

Footnotes:

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