An Old Country Bumpkin Turns on His Heel

“Hah... Hah...!”

Rose was on one knee, clutching her slashed chest as she struggled to get back up.

“Don’t force yourself to move. It’ll only make the bleeding worse.”

Rose seemed fully conscious, but anyone could see she was gravely wounded. Unless she received professional treatment as soon as possible, her life was in danger.

I’d cut her badly enough to cause this, so I wasn’t sure I had any right to say that.

Still, even though I’d cut her down, my complicated feelings toward my former student hadn’t simply vanished. Was it selfish of me to want her to live, if she still could?

“Heh... Hehe... I... lost, didn’t I...?”

At last, she gave up on trying to stand and fell onto her back with a clank.

A smile lingered on her face, but she was pale. She’d clearly lost too much blood.

“What is that sword...? That’s not fair...”...