Juno woke up and opened her cloudy eyes. She could see the magnificent dark sky with two silver moons above her. The training ground was lit with crystals. The servant was training nearby.
She had unpleasant sensations in the area of her lower abdomen and down her leg. A terrible thought flashed through her mind. - {Did I wet myself?!}
Juno blushed like a ripe peach and rushed to the nearest shower. Her honor and dignity had been defamed! She wanted to fall through the ground and stay there forever. It was all because of the ruthless monster that had shocked her right into the neck! She had enough of his humiliating training sessions. It was bad enough that her whole body ached, then the master started moving faster than a hurricane. Envy, despair, and contempt gripped Juno’s soul while she was washing her body frantically.
After the shower, Juno got a call and an invitation to return to the training ground. She smiled bitterly at the thought of how helpless she was. Apparently, she would have to suffer as long as he lived... The servant would keep messing with her not only physically but also morally. It couldn’t get any worse. What could she possibly do?
Juno put on her favorite outfit: a gray skirt, silver sandals, and a blouse (she had no intention to exercise) and came to the training ground. Kyon’s scornful look made her feel queasy inside.
Juno remained silent. She blushed and clenched her fists in anger. The servant’s outstanding talent scared her. He had inhuman strength for the 7th stage! However, the arrogant girl didn’t change her mind as for his status. She continued to treat him as inferior because of his origin.
The proud little lady flopped on the bench and growled angrily:
«I do not want to practise with you anymore! I’ve had enough of you humiliating me! If you dare to force me... I will give you up as my master!»
«And your key cleaning as well?» - Kyon asked with a grin.
Juno gasped and hesitated. Then she said, looking intently into his eyes:
«Are you messing with me?»
Her naive question made Kyon laugh. Juno was willing to wet herself every day for the sake of having her keys cleaned. Or maybe not.
«Yes, I am.» - He nodded.
Juno breathed a sigh of relief. «I hope you get my warning. Actually, you suck as a master! I don’t know why you are so fast, but I refuse to deal with you if you don’t give in. After you defeated me with your speed, I knew that I would not learn anything from you. It was useless experience! I won’t get any faster anyway!» - Juno blurted out in a confident voice. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted and what she was after.
«Alright then...» - Kyon agreed.
Juno breathed another sigh of relief. It felt nice to defend her opinion even if it was unusual for her. She used to get immediately whatever she wanted in the best possible way. But now she had to reckon with the “master” to have something.
«Have you mastered the movement technique from the Stone’s heritage? That’s why you are so fast, isn’t it? The Stone technique won’t let you move lightning fast, though.»
«I’ve come up with my own technique.» - Kyon said and heard the gate creak. He bowed and made a gesture that allowed Juno to behave according to the cage of orders. Juno put on a stern look and crossed her arms.
It was Dinah. She witnessed the scene of a demanding lady and a guilty servant. The maid quickly approached Juno, stood on one knee and bowed to her.
«Lady, I beg you to let me kill the servant. I am ready to take any punishment for what I’ve done.» - Dinah said respectfully.
Kyon nearly choked in surprise.
His order didn’t let Juno take the initiative, that’s why he decided to make it about him. «Ms. Dinah, what are you talking about? I didn’t do anything to you!»
Dinah looked at him with icy disdain. «Enough of your pretense! You’ve always been disrespectful like a rude barbarian. I always put up with it, but when I found out that…» - She did not finish. - «Never mind. I will kill you whatever it takes.»
At that moment, Kyon understood everything. Dinah must have learned from Jean something that she shouldn’t have. Given the local mentality of honor and dignity, Kyon could make a disappointing conclusion: {I see... This bitch will never leave me alone. Whenever I go to bed, I must be ready to lose my life. It can’t go on like this. I have to do something.}
A couple of options came to his mind. He could decide her fate via Juno here and now, but he was in no hurry to do that. The loss of a superior maid could cause too many problems. Not today and not tomorrow, but his position of the patriarch’s granddaughter’s master would be jeopardised. He’d better not rush. Kyon could decide what to do with Dinah after the party was over, after he had made his plans and set his priorities. Besides, he could use a powerful killer as an ally at the party.
Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer, that’s the principle Kyon was going to live by until the party took place. Only, how could he do it without pulling a few strings?
Kyon quickly came up with a solution.
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«If you want me to die, give me one single chance. I don’t want to die like this. I offer you a duel.»
Dinah bowed again to Juno. «My lady, let me have a mortal battle with the boy. I have and will serve you faithfully until the end of my days. I’m ready to take any punishment after he dies.»
Juno raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Kyon said:
«Wait... Ms. Dinah, you can kill me with a single blow!»
Without turning her head, Dinah muttered in contempt:
«I will lower my stage of development to yours. Will that be enough? I can even give you a head start in two stages!»
Kyon smiled to himself. «No need. You can fight at my stage of development.»
{Is he so desperate to give up a head start and die?} - Dinah thought. However, she couldn’t care less. Today the miserable servant would die. She wouldn’t have to tolerate his existence in this world.
Kyon stroked his bracelet of concealment, changing his development to the 4th stage. It was invisible for the others, though. «By the way, if my life is on stake, what will I get in case I win?»
Dinah frowned. «You can take anything! I don't care.»
Kyon could hardly hold back his smile. Never underestimate the enemy. But... If anyone else was in his place, the professional assassin would easily rip their belly open.
«Starting tomorrow, you will be my slave for three days.» - Kyon smiled treacherously. It was enough to figure out what he was going to do without arousing Dinah's suspicion.
Dinah looked at him in bewilderment. How could a servant's life cost three days of her slavery? However, he stood no chance, so she agreed.
«You got a deal. What do you say, my lady?» - Dinah asked proudly.
Kyon blinked a couple of times, and Juno said with a deep sigh:
«So be it.»
Deep inside, Dinah was grateful, but she didn't quite understand Juno’s real motivation. Did the lady allow her to kill the servant she had always protected?
Kyon bowed to Juno gallantly. «My lady, I propose the following conditions of the battle: no use of nephrites; Dinah is forbidden to raise her development above mine; no one is responsible for the death of the opponent; if I win she will be my slave for three days. Please give the appropriate orders if you agree to the terms.»
Dinah almost incinerated him with her destructive gaze. Then she looked at Juno with a thoughtful look.
The lady accepted the rules. She briefly repeated them and coldly gave Dinah all the relevant orders.
The maid lost interest in the lady’s strange behavior. Her mind was occupied with the chance to get rid of the pain in the neck that had been bothering her.
Kyon stood on one side of the drawn arena and Dinah on the other. Both glared at each other. Kyon was anxious to find out the way the assassin would fight. After incompetent Juno, it would be like a breath of fresh air.
Dinah was a bit surprised that her adversary had no weapons. She had lots of dangerous equipment in her arsenal. Besides, she was dressed in a tight suit, enchanted for strength and made of strong leather.
Juno began the countdown:
«The battle begins in 3... 2... 1... Get started!»
Dinah deftly took two shiny sharp daggers out of her sleeves and rushed headlong into the fight. She was slightly inferior to Juno in speed (being at the same stage). However, the balance of her body revealed her great skills. In addition to the usual battle tactics, she was skillful at throwing hidden and short weapons. She also knew a number of techniques necessary to eliminate the enemy quickly.
The icy stare of the cold-blooded killer gave out her intentions to mercilessly end Kyon’s life. Usually, he didn’t spare such people (at least in the simulations).
Her first swing of the dagger was aimed precisely at his throat. Kyon dodged at the last moment when an insidious blade of wind flew out of the weapon. The ether barrier fended it.
The ruthless killer frowned, visibly displeased. Did the boy bend four elements? She could clearly feel the earth element. Earlier, in the pond, he had used the cold. He had just used ether and pure energy. Was he a genius? That’s too much for him! Even she bended only three elements... Why didn’t Anna tell her anything about that? Perhaps, the lady’s words about the boy’s excellent skills weren’t pure nonsense. However, she didn’t care about all that. He was going to die, end of the story.
Focusing on eliminating her enemy, Dinah inflicted a combination of three deadly blows. Then she froze in bewilderment. All of her attacks had passed him by. What the hell? Judging by the fluctuations, it was clear that the boy was at the 7th stage. It explained why he was still alive.
Dinah put aside all unnecessary thoughts and resolutely raised her development to the 7th stage without breaking the order. Now the servant was in for imminent death. However, the reality was different. Kyon miraculously began to move proportionately faster!
Dinah continued her efforts to destroy the hated enemy. For about ten breaths, she had been trying in vain to cut his throat. Each of her attempts inevitably failed.
Another ten breaths of the fight had passed.
Dinah knew in her gut that something was wrong. Kyon’s development was equal to hers, he even moved slower by a third. The sly fox was so dodgy and lucky that he avoided danger at the very last moment! His fighting style was so unpredictable that it gave her a feeling of suspense before each if his moves. Besides, her opponent seemed to “read” the battle a few steps ahead. It was terribly annoying. To crown it all, Lady Juno herself was watching their fight... What a shame! The elite killer couldn’t defeat a pathetic servant! With each second, the absurdity of the situation increased. How could he possibly bend four elements? How did he manage to dodge? How in the hell could he be at the 7th stage? His development was much lower at their first meeting. He could not have developed so quickly.
But the weirdest thing, the boy was completely unarmed, in addition to his obvious lack of speed! He was fighting on equal terms but never attacked her... He was playing with her like a sly cat with a mouse!
Her cold-blooded face gave way to an angry grin. Her movements became more violent. She growled frantically like a wild amazon with every swing she took. If she could only scratch the jerk, the poison would do its vile deed.
{What's going on? Why can't I kill him? Who is he?! Why won’t he attack me?! Is he playing with me?!} - An unfamiliar feeling swept over her. She experienced something similar when the powerful master was scanning her with pure energy.
She remembered the look in Kyon’s eyes after she had killed the swans. It sent goosebumps all over her body. Now he had the same look in his eyes... And it seemed intentional. Dinah felt darkness burning through her core, real darkness!
Kyon had gained valuable insights from the battle with Dinah. He started to understand what to expect from a practitioner of her level with advanced killer skills. He had found the boundaries, and now he could set his own rules. In the moonlight, Dinah was especially beautiful.