Standing up against bullies

Garrick's fist shot toward my face. I had already expected a punch, so I dodged right—only for his other hand to lash out in a brutal uppercut. With no time to evade, I barely raised my right arm in time, blocking his knuckles inches from my chin reducing the impact.

But before I could take a breath, his left calf snapped forward with terrifying speed, slamming into my ribs.

"Fuck—!"

A sharp, burning pain tore through my ribs as I staggered back, but before managing to stay upright my heels slipped—crash—the ground met me, hard and unforgiving.

I groaned, laying on the ground for a moment.

Garrick didn't move to strike again. He just stood there, watching—waiting. He wanted me to get up, to not just beat me, but humiliate me.

Heh. Did he really think I'd fall for something that obvious?

I remained motionless.

"Oi, you spineless bastard! Get up!"

Shit.

With a sigh, I sat up, shaking the dust from my hair. "Spineless? This, coming from a knight who's so desperate, he has to beat up a powerless guy?"

Garrick scoffed. "If you know you're powerless, maybe you should've thought twice before throwing that punch."

I smirked. "Oh? I figured someone like you—Mr. Powerful Knight—would have easily deflected it. Guess I overestimated you. Maybe go train some more before challenging me again?"

His jaw clenched.

Renald interrupted with a laugh. "Whoa! Look at that! The young master actually speaks! Thought you'd gone mute these past few days." He sneered. "Too bad it's all just talk."

He turned to Garrick. "How about a duel? That way, we can clear up this little misunderstanding."

I scoffed. I knew exactly where this was going. With the whole camp watching, they wanted to force me into a duel, make a show of putting me in my place.

But fuck it—it's not like I had any dignity to protect in the first place.

I threw my head back and laughed obnoxiously.

"Hahahahaha"

"Hah! Look at this—some mangy mutt barking for a duel! Know your place, dog. You're here to lick my boots, not bite them."

I pointed my foot at them mockingly.

Garrick cracked his knuckles. "Finally showing your true colors, huh?"

I scoffed. "Why the hell should I hide from you lot? You never dared touch me back at the estate—but now, out here, you suddenly find your courage?"

Renald sneered. "Hahaha! Young master, look around you. You're not in the estate anymore. The no one is here to protect you. If we slit your throat and dump your body in this wasteland, who's gonna care? You think anyone here would speak up?"

I glanced around.

The knights watching from the sidelines weren't grinning anymore. Their expressions were cold, indifferent. None of them would stop this.

The commander and Edric? Nowhere in sight.

Evan still sat by his tent, watching quietly—neither interfering nor encouraging.

Even Selene had lifted her carriage's cover, her piercing gaze fixed on me, looking at how this would unfold.

And the priests and mage? They sat in the opposite corner, completely uninterested. This wasn't their problem, as they are working with us just for money.

I exhaled slowly.

Tch. Sick of this shit already.

I smirked, still sitting on the ground. "Oh? You think I'm scared of you?" I spread my arms lazily. "Go ahead. Kill me if you dare, you pathetic cowards."

Ranald and Garrick frowned.

"What?" I scoffed, tilting my head. "Isn't that what you want? A reason to beat me? Then fucking do it already. Or do you need another punch to the face first?"

Garrick let out a dry chuckle. "Heh. Seems like he's finally lost it."

I turned my gaze to them, lips curling into a wicked grin. "Hey, Scarface. And you—string beans. Get this over with already, or just get down on your knees and lick your master's boots. I don't have all day."

That did it.

"You're going to regret that, you arrogant little shit," Garrick growled, stepping toward me, his fists tightening.

When he loomed over me, he sneered. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

And then he swung.

Just as his fist shot toward my face, I threw a handful of dirt—the one I'd been secretly gathering—straight at his eyes.

But the bastard was fast. He tilted his head just in time, dodging it completely.

"Heh! You really thought I wouldn't notice your cowardnes—"

Ptooey.

I spat straight in his face.

Silence.

For a long second, Garrick didn't move. A slow blink. A twitch of his jaw.

Then—

A stifled chuckle broke the silence.

The healer girl, sitting at the edge of the camp, quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Everyone turned to look at her. She stiffened, immediately looking down, as if wishing she could vanish.

Garrick trembled with rage, his entire face contorting.

"You little bastard," he seethed, wiping his cheek. "You're fucking done for!"

He swung his punch so fast that even though I saw it coming, I couldn't dodge. I barely had time to raise my arms in defense, but it wasn't enough—his fist smashed past my guard and landed straight on my chin.

The force knocked my upper body backward, slamming me onto the ground. Before I could react, he stomped on my ankle, pinning it down.

"You wanted me to lick your boot, huh?" Garrick sneered, his lips curling into a twisted smile. He pressed down harder, grinding my ankle under his weight.

Pain exploded in my ankle, sharp and unforgiving. I clenched my teeth, my breath shuddering as I fought against the instinct to scream.

'Fuck. It hurts'

I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at him, but the bastard dodged—again.

"Tch. You really don't know anything besides throwing dirt, do you?" he mocked.

I ignored him, scooping up more dirt with both hands and hurling it at his face, over and over. He dodged most of it in a swift manner making it look so easy, but still some grains hit his eyes.

For just a split second, his grip on my ankle loosened.

That was all I needed.

I yanked my leg free and, in one swift motion, shifted between his legs. Then, without hesitation—

I kicked.

Hard.

Straight to his crotch.

Crack.

Silence.

Garrick didn't move.

But I felt the solid impact against his groin.

Suddenly the tension in the air skyrocketed. Mana surged around him, crackling with power.

'Shit. He finally lost it.'

I scrambled backward, kicking my legs forward while using my hands to push myself away from him.

Swish!

In an instant, he was beside me.

His fist was already raised, pulled back behind his head. The air around his knuckles burned.

And then—

BAM!

A deafening explosion echoed near my ear. My cheek burned from the heat.

But the impact never came.

I turned my head and saw Evan.

He was standing behind me, his hand firmly gripping Garrick's fist mid-swing.

'Fuck, what took him so long?' I exhaled.

"Let's stop this now," Evan said, his voice steady.

Garrick's eyes widened in shock. "Evan, what the hell are you doing?"

Evan didn't answer.

Garrick's expression darkened. "I know he blackmailed you into taking the Oath of Knighthood, but don't worry—I'm not gonna kill him. I'll just make his life worse than death."

Evan didn't flinch. "I just don't want any incidents that could delay our journey."

Garrick frowned. "So you will stop me from beating him?"

Evan nodded.

"Whoa… now that's an unexpected turn of events." Ranald stepped forward, arms crossed. "But we can't let him go after everything he's done." He moved to stand beside Garrick.

Evan released Garrick's hand and turned toward them. The tension in the air thickened.

Wait. Was he going to fight them?

Honestly, I had a feeling Evan would step in.

Ever since I forced him to take the Oath of Knighthood and apologized to Daisy, he'd been secretly watching me.

I first noticed it when he sent Rose to me. At the time, I thought it was strange—why would he send a child to a so-called pervert? But when I jokingly terrified Rose, she subtly glanced in a certain direction.

When I looked, he was there. Hiding and Observing.

After that, whenever I was with Clara or Rose, I could feel someone watching me.

I didn't know what Evan's intentions were, but one thing was certain—

He wasn't a bad guy.

Evan exhaled, rubbing his temple like he was weighing his options. Then he looked at Garrick and Ranald.

"You can do whatever you want to him once we're back at the estate," Evan said, his voice neutral. "But if he gets seriously injured now, it'll delay our journey to Eldermoon Forest. Are you willing to take responsibility if the relic ends up in Volteris hands because of that?"

Garrick scoffed. "You know damn well we can't touch him in the estate. The Duchess protects him. If we lay a hand on him there, we'll be the ones facing punishment."

Ranald crossed his arms. "And you, of all people, know what he's done to the servants—how he treated them. If we don't teach him a lesson now, things will only get worse for us."

Evan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like this was an inconvenience. "I get it. You want justice. But look at the bigger picture—if we wait, we can do things properly. Instead of rushing it now, how about this?"

He paused, letting the moment stretch.

"Once we've completed our mission, I won't stop you on our way back. Hell, I'll even help distract the commander if needed. That way, you can take your time and... make it count."

Garrick and Ranald exchanged glances. Ranald looked at Evan, then at me. Slowly, a grin spread across his face.

Ranald said, "Hahh Evan you are right, I misjudged you for a second."

Garrick cracked his knuckles. "Young Master, looks like you've got some time to toughen up before our little 'training.' Try not to disappoint us."

Before I could react, Ranald clapped a heavy hand on my back, the force nearly knocking the air out of me.

"You hear that, Young Master? You've got time to train! Make sure you don't cry too much later, yeah?"

I gritted my teeth.

Garrick leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Don't think of running either. We'll find you."

Ignoring them, I turned to Evan, still clinging to the slim hope that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't really doing this.

When I looked at him, our faces locked. A slow, deliberate smirk curled on Evan's lips. Not the forced kind. Not the awkward kind. No, this was something else—genuine amusement, the look of a man who had just played a perfect hand.

'Oh, fuck. I take back what I said.'

'He's not a good guy. He's a selfish, cunning bastard with a personal grudge.'

I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth from Garrick's previous punch.

As much as their threats pissed me off, two things bugged me more than anything else.

One—The commander has no idea about my so-called bullying.

Two—The Duchess… protects me?

What kind of bullshit is that?