Please Kill Me - Chapter 39
Leonid suppressed a smile that bubbled up from the thrill that sent shivers down his spine.
If Yekaterina’s swordplay reminded him of a flamboyant peony, then Leonid’s was like an elegant violin.
‘So, the sword can be wielded this way too.’
Yekaterina rarely marveled. Leonid moved with a flexibility in wielding the sword that belied the fact it was held in one hand.
When the swords lightly touched, he twisted his wrist, climbing like a snake on a branch, deflecting Yekaterina’s rapid dagger attacks, and found a gap in her swift assaults.
At times gracefully, at times fiercely.
Gone was his usual composure, leaving only the sword that was mercilessly precise. It gave off the impression of a violin performance rich in variations. Leonid’s expressions changed noticeably with each contact of the sword.
‘Had Leonid been using his right hand.’
Would she have faced even more difficulty?
Clang. As her thoughts lingered, Leonid’s sword dug into Yekaterina’s shoulder. She reflexively blocked, but was a beat too late.
Not that it wouldn’t have eventually happened even without her getting distracted. As soon as she realized this, Yekaterina tensed her arms.
This time, Leonid increased his speed. With the heavy longsword, and using only one hand, the speed at which he targeted Yekaterina’s shoulder, thigh, and arm was unbelievably fast.
A ferocious performance.
Faced with Leonid’s accelerated pace, Yekaterina struggled to defend against his swordplay, reminiscent of cascading melodies.
“Ah!”
In a moment of oversight, the dagger in her left hand flew out with a clang. Her hand was sweaty, and her arm had weakened. A victor’s smile fleetingly crossed Leonid’s face as he resumed his onslaught.
Indeed, facing a longsword with only one dagger was a mismatch. As Yekaterina was struggling to keep up the defense, the longsword lunged to her left. It was just as she attempted to swing her dagger towards Leonid’s heart.
What to do?
Blocking now wouldn’t fully defend her. And to just let the sword hit her neck? If that happened,
A flash of realization crossed her mind.
If that happened, she might actually die.
Yekaterina’s gaze was locked on the sword diving towards her neck, but her hand continued its descent towards Leonid. Her heart pounded excessively, whether from anticipation or fear, she couldn’t tell.
One thing was certain: Leonid’s sword did not alter its course and kept advancing.
Yekaterina’s pupils dilated in sync with her pulse.
Like this. Is her neck going to be…
Stab.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed, and Yekaterina blinked. The pain that should have followed was absent.
What’s happening?
She couldn’t grasp the situation properly. A familiar scent of blood wafted in the air.
Yekaterina found herself in Leonid’s embrace. Before his sword could reach her neck, Leonid had yanked her into his arms with his right arm, pulling her out of the sword’s path.
The silver strands of hair that had been cut, lying at their feet, were proof of how close the sword had come to Yekaterina’s neck.
‘Is that my hair?’
Knowing yet needing to check, she attempted to turn her head, but the more she tried, the tighter the arm around her became.
Ha, ha. She could feel his chest heaving against her, the breaths loud in the silence. Through the thin fabric, she felt Leonid’s heart racing as if it might burst.
“You almost… got hurt…”
Barely getting the words out, Leonid breathed heavily, resting his face on Yekaterina’s shoulder. His slowing heartbeat felt strangely foreign to her.
However, Yekaterina couldn’t focus solely on his heartbeat.
“You’re the one who got hurt.”
The sound of flesh tearing she had heard, and the metallic smell swirling between them, came from Leonid’s side.
In his haste to pull Yekaterina close, the dagger that was aimed at his heart had instead deeply slashed above, at his shoulder.
Though the blade hadn’t embedded itself, the pain was undeniable.
Yekaterina stepped back from Leonid’s embrace.
She could see Leonid’s face contorted in pain, and his blood-soaked shoulder became visible.
The sensation of the blade tearing through flesh, transmitted a moment ago, felt eerily distant.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
She was accustomed to such incidents. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the act of injuring someone that startled her.
It was all unfamiliar for her
“Why… did you do that?”
Leonid’s actions were utterly incomprehensible to her.
This match was unmistakably Leonid’s victory. Everyone present knew that Leonid’s blow to Yekaterina’s neck would have been quicker than her dagger reaching his heart.
Thus, under normal circumstances, Yekaterina would have been the one bleeding. This whole fiasco wouldn’t have happened if Leonid hadn’t acted so foolishly.
It also would have been a prime opportunity to see if Offenbach’s magic could stand a chance against a one-handed Leonid.
“So, you wanted to lose the bet that badly?”
“Ugh… If you’re going to talk nonsense, better to stay quiet.”
It’s been a while since he got cut so it really hurts.
