Beautiful Scar

Five

The other suitors were shocked. Scarlet was creasing her brow instead at the damage on the wall. That big-sized prince really had no control. And thou, she favored Lucas to win, if he could not overcome this, then she would know the extent of his service and resolve.

Ronald was still smiling while swinging around his flail weapon. He approached Lucas who was on the floor, slowly recovering himself.

“Come on Lucas, show me what the Silverstorm’s army is made of!”

Lucas managed to stand up but his whole being was shaken up badly. There were bruises on his face, his back hurt and his sights were still hazy. Meanwhile, Ronald had no scratch at all.

Lucas managed to duck as Ronald flung another time, aiming for his head but instead it grazed the wall.

Not the walls again, Scarlet internally sighed. Though she foresaw such damages on the training camp, she still disliked seeing properties being broken. First, the cost and thou they would be covered under this whole battle royals event, she had to fork out her own golds first, then she would claim from the throne. Second, repairs took time which limited her training space for her men, and worse when she had to ask from snobby captains or generals to lend space for her – another gold to be put out to persuade them to let her borrow.

Despites being on the running end, Lucas was not giving up yet. He still had a bit of time before the minute was up.

He then remembered what Scarlet had told him last night.

Take a deep breath and relax your shoulders.

And he did. As the flail been swung again, Lucas ducked and slid himself between Ronald’s two opened legs. Ronald’s hand turned to follow his line of sights and before he knew it, the flail hit his crotch instead.

He yelped in pain and fell.

Clapping resounded from the hall.

But Lucas instead looked devoid of emotions. His heart was still racing from the fight just now. He wanted…to know the truth.

“Well done both of you. I will give one-minute handicap for you two to recover and then continue with the next partner. The rest begins as when I say start”, she pulled out a golden pocket watch and readied herself at the same time.

Dylan was still unconvinced he had to spar with her.

“Do you even know how to use that sword that is so much prettier than you?” Dylan snorted and noted the well-cared sword of hers gleaming under the light. He readied himself out of reflex.

Oh well, he would play along with this. He would duel with her and scare her with his ability.

“Start!”

And the rest of the remaining men apart from Lucas and Ronald sparred with each other.

However, Scarlet and Dylan both did not move for attack. Their swords were out and their stances were ready to pounce any enemy approaching them.

“It’s okay, I will go easy on you. Lady’s first”, he smirked.

“Well then”, Scarlet did a fake gasp and covered her mouth for effect, “Don’t mind if I do”, and she started to move her front leg while lunging her sword forward, only to suddenly have her sword been tangled by the chains on the flail weapon and a force was pulling it out of her grasp. She strongly reined her hold.

Shock came over her, but she recovered quick when another attack was coming in front of her. Prince Dylan.

Dylan saw a chance.

Injure her and be rid of her.

He ran and lifted his sword to s***h but Scarlet was quick. She pulled out a blade from her pocket and halted the onslaught of the sword coming upon her.

In a second it was Dylan’s turn to be shocked. The closeness and the momentary shock gave Scarlet quick thinking to give a kick on his knee and stomach which he staggered and dropped his sword.

As Dylan was done, her hold on the blade relaxed and that forced her body to be pulled as well by the tug from her tangled sword.

It seemed Ronald was not happy at all to be losing. His ruthless nature was resurfacing.

She let herself be pulled and used this to get close to Ronald’s stature instead. She released the hilt of the sword and hopped behind Ronald’s back which he had a difficult time trying to get a hold on her. She then, jumped off and made a dash away from him, away from walls or things he could damage.

He started to chase her. The sudden twist of event caused some of the trainees to pause their sparring and observed their Captain instead.

“Don’t run away now, little Lady”, Ronald spoke which sent chills and repulsiveness to Scarlet.

All the while, she noticed how this ruckus caused a pause in her unit’s training.

Ah, she really hated that she had to lead this battle royal operation. It hindered her men from properly getting training done.

And then, she stopped midway. An idea occurred to her. Let’s test something out.

When Ronald’s shadow casted over her, she twisted her back leg into a turning back kick. It was a perfect movement but he was taller and bulkier than her. He caught her ankle. She used her other leg and he caught that as well, rendering her whole body being handled outside down. He lifted her higher so he could face her.

This was the closeness Scarlet needed to test this idea she had in mind.

All her trained men started to unleash their weapons and were ready to aid Scarlet but she raised her hand to halt them. The men reluctantly lowered their weapons.

The other suitors were shocked and curious at this development. They did not know whether they should join the aid as well or merely observed this and noted if the Captain had any weakness they could use of.

“Your head could decorate my walls, Lady”, he was grinning evilly.

“Do you really decorate your walls with the head of all the women you bedded, no, raped and killed them?”

Lucas’s eyes widened as he took it all in.

“For you, I might make an exception”, this inhumane man in front of her had no shame or conscience. He was still smiling, relishing the thought even. It sickened Scarlet and the men around them.

“Such a shame…” Scarlet bid her time. “Your parents were strong advocates for female empowerment but there had been increasing missing women reports, declining participation of women into the economy, into the castle servant household, why is that, hm? At the same time, your wealth was increasing. So strange…”

“What the King and Queen don’t know won’t hurt them. And besides, you women are such amazing pleasure provider. But you all break easily. I can’t help but play and break my toys…” he truly looked wicked.

While this monster in Prince’s clothing did not notice, the rest of the men there noted the change in Scarlet’s expression. She was not pleased.

“Ah…is that why you stroke a deal with the Pirate and had them kidnapped the ladies at our kingdom’s village two years ago? You want more toys was it?”

Lucas covered his mouth; his whole body was shaking. Anger and sadness were mixing. The other men around held his shoulders to calm him down.

“I don’t remember the details, but I do make trades to bring in more women to my homeland. They’re amazing commodity, aren’t they? What you say, brothers?” he looked over at the suitors as though he could get concurrence. But none of them was smiling.

Annoyed to be ignored like this, he continued, “What’s with that look? Don’t you act like you never done this! Even you men here! I’m sure you have never sleep with the same women”.

Oh, God Scarlet wanted to throw up at his disgustingness.  And maybe also due to blood rushing to her head.

“Even if they do, they don’t kill them”, Scarlet said icily. “Think of it, are you an i***t?”

That widened Ronald’s eyes. Must be the first someone ever said to him, “If they were truly commodity and your beloved toys. Shouldn’t they be taken care of like any winning trophies or prized possessions? You’re a spoiled child who does not know how to take care of things, much less a kingdom. All those women probably chose death because it was hell better than being with you”.

“Why you…” he wanted to slam her against the wall but Scarlet stretched her hand and her black glove activated fumes underneath her palm. It permeated into Ronald’s sense and he collapsed straight away, dropping Scarlet onto the floor.

As Scarlet stood up from the fall and brushed off some dust, the glove’s poison did also permeate into the skin of her palm, which she cursed for being a guinea pig for Brie’s invention. But years of training under harsh condition made her endurance level higher than men around her.

The poison did not take effect on her immediately. She mentally controlled her sense of consciousness.

She ordered some men to lift Ronald’s unconscious body and imprison him.

“Officer Lucas, you are to move into my men’s quarter tonight and rest for today. Report to me same time, same place tomorrow. And welcome to the team. Officer Mason, please show him to his new living arrangement”, she got Lucas to be ushered away before he could have a say on anything that was revealed to him today.

“The rest of you, resume your training. We wasted a lot of time from my parts, my apologies”, she gave a brief bow with her head and continued looking straight ahead, “All of you line up and have a go with me”. And she picked up her fallen sword.

All her men quickly got into lines and readied their weapons. The suitors were still trying to keep up with what was happening around them. Though one competition was down, it did not sit well with them on once again how Scarlet could reveal their own sins and crimes. And it was smart too. She got Ronald to admit his wrongdoings in front of public, witnesses that observe he did try to harm the Captain, that the rumors were true about his sadistic way with women.

While Scarlet’s men were eager to spar with her, they still lacked the years of experience Scarlet had in training as each of them rendered weaponless under 30 seconds. Though, Scarlet had to give credit that they managed to last for that long. They were slowly and surely improving, which was progress indeed. However, the suitors were even worse off. All of them only lasted half of 30 seconds. And funnily, it felt to them like ages.

By the meantime, Dylan and Neville were the last ones and panting for air. All the other men were exhausted as well. Noon had approached, and Scarlet dismissed the training. She left first after the salute, and some men continued their sparring, after the defeat just now with their Captain. But the five remaining suitors remained as well, quenching their thirst by the corner and wondered, how the hell could Captain Scarlet be this strong?

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