After the fall, Audrey appears in a frantic attempt to regain her balance. She sits on her right knee with her left leg stretched back, reflecting her effort to rise.
She extended her hand to grasp the Trident of Shadows, using her right hand to support the upper end planted in the ground like a crutch, while her left hand attempts to lift the lower end to regain control of the weapon. Her head tilts slightly forward, and her disheveled black hair covers part of her face...
Exhausted…! Her tattered clothes at the edges reveal the effects of the previous struggle...!
Unexpectedly ready to counterattack, she decided to strike again using her three-part trident after regaining some of her strength.
She sits on her right knee with her left leg extended back for support, reflecting her effort to maintain balance during the attack. Her hands grip the trident firmly, as she uses her right hand to lift the curved upper end in a swift, angled strike toward me...
"Bam!" a sound symbol for the collision of the spiked metal ball with my kusarigama and her trident.
Since it was a weak attack compared to her first, I was able to block it easily without inflicting significant damage. The girl fell backward several meters away, while her trident was sent flying from the force of the collision.
It seems I succeeded in steering the fight to a critical stage, as I advanced toward her steadily, directing the Bloody Ares sword to her neck. Her face reflected a sense of despair...! Exhaustion and defeat...
Audrey tried to rise again and fight, but with a jab from my sword, she realized that the battle was over, surrendering to her fate without a second motion. I admired her fighting spirit...
Compared to the other fighters in the Golden Hawk Brigade, I believe you are the weakest...!
You didn't manage to inflict any damage on my body with those weak strikes...
Whether you didn't give your best or that was all you had... in either case, you're a damn fool!
Those imbeciles who cannot fight would be better off sheathing their swords!
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Anyone who carries a sword should be ready to die...
"Is this how you want to die? Huh!"
If this is all you can do when fighting with a sword, it would be better for you to remain fallen or play the shamisen...
Strange! Damn..! Are you really a duelist in the Golden Hawk Brigade? That idiot diminishes my abilities by sending the weakest fighter in your group.
In truth, it was a decision I never imagined I would make one day against any swordsman; I decided to spare her and not kill her!
After choosing to spare her life, I began to move away, placing my Bloody Ares sword on my shoulder, while the shadows of the tall pine trees reflected a moment of calm after the violence. Leaving Audrey behind... Before I got too far, I told her to forget everything I said about her...!
After my departure, Audrey remained in her place, lost in thought.
"Audrey, if you're willing to walk the path of the sword... it's better to be a fallen woman who pleases and entertains people."
A phrase spoken years ago to the girl Audrey by one of the women...
The atmosphere shifted into a moment of relative calm. Audrey appeared sitting on the ground in a fatigued position, the Trident of Shadows lay beside her, its parts scattered...
The surprise came with the appearance of the boy who had caught her attention earlier, yes, the boy who had been running with his friends and stopped by Audrey due to exhaustion and difficulty breathing...
The boy approached her with hesitant steps, his head lowered slightly as if he were shy or sympathetic... wearing simple clothes adorned with stripes...
"Are you okay, miss?"
Broken after her defeat, Audrey said, "So you saw me fighting."
"Whoa! And before that too."
Silence
"Hmm! It seems you're a duelist... right?"
Silence
"Um! You're not very good at fighting."
"Thanks for being honest."
Audrey reached for the kimono she was wearing... pulling out a kanzashi.
In her hand, the kanzashi, "Do you want this?"
The boy held the hair ornament, "Wow! Really? Are you sure? I'll give it to my mom..."
"Ha ha, yes, it's likely I won't need it anymore..."
Audrey realized that the path she had taken was not her own; the road that was drawn for her was never her choice. As long as she had wanted to dedicate her entire life to the way of the sword...
To avoid being a fallen woman who pleases others, she chose the path of art and playing the shamisen...
________________________________________________________________
A New Day
Ha ha, let me tell you that Eva is mad at me after she returned to the place where she wanted me to wait for her and didn't find me...! And you know the reason, right?
She's avoiding talking to me and even looking at my face...
Huh? Don't tell me you're still angry with me about what happened yesterday...?
No response
Forget it, Eva! I already apologized to you!
She glared at me with one eye, tightly drawn, her left eyebrow slightly raised in a sharp expression that reflected tension and discomfort. Her mouth was tightly pressed, indicating suppressed anger, as she placed her hand on her chin, as if trying to contain her emotions or deeply contemplate her response.
"Alright! I won't buy a whore again without your knowledge! But...! Whoa...! Wait a minute, maybe I'm missing something here, maybe little Eva is jealous...!"
Agitated, she said, "I'm not!"
Her facial expression shifted from agitation to calmness. "Come on, don't be foolish, dear Brando...! Let me clarify this better for you: what you do is none of my concern... Whether you choose to do it or with whom, as if I would even care... You're a man above all. I'm sure you men have certain needs that only God knows about... Since I've assigned you to a task, it won't bother me to spend some money on the whores"
"But what I'm trying to point out, Brando... you're my bodyguard. If you leave me like this again and something happens to me, that's where the problem will lie! If you have a strong desire to go out and play like this, do it when I'm asleep, or... at least when I won't notice. Okay? When you want to do that, I don't want to know about it."
Ha ha ha, alright, alright, I understand; I'll be careful from now on...!
"Please do."
But you know, I have a better idea... We can solve the problem of the fallen woman and save some money that's being wasted unnecessarily!
What if... I were to sleep with you instead of the whore? A good suggestion, isn't it?
Silence
But I could read her expression...!
Her reaction seemed filled with shock and discomfort. Her wide-open eyes reflected sudden disbelief, with dilated pupils emphasizing her inability to process what she had just heard. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, adding a look of concern or astonishment. Her mouth was tightly pressed with a slight downturn at the corners, as if she were trying to suppress a gasp or a comment. Her hands, resting on the surface in front of her, appeared tense, reflecting the tension in her body caused by the shock.
Ha ha ha, but that won't work! It's impossible with a capable girl like you, at just fifteen years old.
Moreover, you've spent most of your time putting in all that effort over the years just for training... right?
Damn, I forgot that no one else has touched you but your father.
It seems that Eva was annoyed by my words in that way; I think she's starting to feel that she has matured. That became evident to me when she slightly shifted her kimono off her shoulder to reveal her skin...
"But...! Don't I look like I've matured a bit...?"