Chapter 24
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Chapter 24
There was no note, but it was unmistakably clear who had left the tray—Alice Winterbell.
I stared blankly at the tray before me. My chest stirred with an inexplicable sensation. The Demonic Sword cackled madly in my mind.
"Stop laughing. You're giving me a headache."
[Hey, she's pretty cute. I thought she'd be annoying, but... if I'd killed her back then, that would've been a waste.]
I ignored the Demonic Sword's words and ate breakfast.
I had arranged to meet Baraha at the Changcheon Stable again today. Originally, Baraha had asked if I wanted to skip squire training and do personal practice instead, since tomorrow was the freshman ranking tournament, but I had declined.
'I should have said I'd do personal training.'
After washing up and gathering my clothes for the day, I belatedly regretted my decision. Every movement sent pain through my entire body. The slight fever from earlier was spreading throughout my system—it looked like I was coming down with something.
I had no intention of resting just because I was sick. I was a superhuman who had reached the realm beyond Master rank. With mana, I could ignore any illness and move freely. Even without using mana, I could move without showing any signs of weakness. If I had the kind of weak resolve that required rest for a mere fever, I would never have spent nine years building up Giosa. Of course, neither my resolve nor mana could actually cure the illness.
Today, since I was heading to the stable, I chose a short dress that came to my calves. It was a deep brown with beige lace trim. Though it was a spring dress and thin, the fabric was surprisingly warm, and with long sleeves and a high neckline, it seemed helpful for my current poor condition.
I slowly began dressing, but grew impatient and sat down in a chair. Using mana, I put on stockings and fastened my accessories. I pulled on dark gloves over my blistered hands. My arms felt heavy, so I infused mana into my cosmetics and applied makeup while seated, without lifting a finger.
Bardegiosa, witnessing me dress without moving a single finger from my chair, muttered in exasperation.
[Using mana for makeup—there's a limit to wastefulness...]
"Right now, moving my arms is more bothersome."
It took longer than usual. I checked one last time to make sure the fever on my face wasn't showing, then left the room.
Baraha was already at the Changcheon Stable when I arrived.
"Welcome. But really, the freshman ranking tournament is tomorrow—are you sure it's okay to just tend to the horses?"
"Yes, there's so much to learn. With only a month of probation and the monster subjugation mission in between, time is precious."
"...I don't think you'll fail to place in the top three, but aren't you being a bit too confident about it, Echinacea? Don't underestimate the cadets."
Baraha let out a hollow laugh. I followed him into the stable and answered casually.
"I'm not underestimating them."
"Then?"
"I simply have an accurate understanding of my own abilities."
Baraha's lips twitched before he burst into loud laughter. He laughed so hard he could barely speak, gesturing toward Silphid instead.
"Hahaha, ahem, today let's finish grooming the mane and tail we couldn't do yesterday. After that, I'll teach you how to saddle up and prepare the equipment."
"Yes, thank you."
Silphid was well-behaved today as well. I brushed her as Baraha instructed, fitted the saddle, and carefully prepared each piece of tack. I was inwardly tense, wondering if Yurien might appear again, but fortunately he didn't.
As late afternoon arrived, Baraha spoke.
"That's enough for today. After all, the ranking tournament is tomorrow."
"I'm really fine, though."
"Either way, I need to stop by to see Lord in the afternoon. Now that I think about it, yesterday was..."
Baraha trailed off, frowning. He remembered going to find Baron after hearing what the Commander had said yesterday.
"He said to stop by once before clocking out. Has he already come?"
When I asked why he'd been summoned, Baron had responded with confusion. Had the Commander misheard what Lord said?
"Senior Baraha?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Anyway, I need to go too, so let's call it a day. Do well in the ranking tournament tomorrow. I'll come watch."
"Yes, understood. Thank you for your hard work today."
I grasped the hem of my dress and bowed lightly. Since I was naturally composed, Baraha never noticed my poor condition.
After parting with him and leaving the stable, I headed straight to the Water Fountain Area nearby. I brushed off the straw and dust, washed my hands, then dampened a handkerchief in cold water and pressed it firmly against my cheeks. As the fever rose, dizziness set in.
"I should go get some sleep."
[I don't think I've ever seen you sick before. I've watched you get injured plenty of times, though.]
"My body simply isn't conditioned for this. To build proper strength, I'd need at least a year...."
Echinacea, who had been responding curtly, suddenly fell silent. Someone was approaching. The presence of someone she didn't particularly want to see.
'Ian Peletro.'
She wanted to avoid him if possible, but the Water Fountain Area had only one entrance. Ian was heading toward it. There was no way to avoid meeting him.
Echinacea sighed, grabbed her handkerchief, and headed toward the entrance. Sure enough, as she stepped outside, Ian was approaching. He smiled brightly.
"Ah, Echinacea. I was looking for you. Baraha mentioned you two parted ways at the stable earlier, so I thought you might be here at the Water Fountain Area."
"Hello, senior. What brings you here?"
"I need to determine the matchups for the freshman ranking tournament."
Ian pulled a leather pouch from his breast pocket. He untied the string at the opening and held out the slightly parted pouch to her.
"Since you have no prior record, we'll draw lots for your matchup. Go ahead and pick one."
"Yes."
Echinacea obediently reached into the pouch. Folded slips of paper lay inside. As she grabbed one at random, Ian spoke with a smile on his face.
"I heard you've resolved to place in the top three so you can definitely participate in the monster subjugation."
"Ah... Yes. Did Baraha tell you?"
"He did. Well, it would be strange if the Commander's squire couldn't even make the top three, wouldn't it? Don't you think? Oh, I'm not trying to pressure you."
"Yes, I understand."
She didn't want to talk much longer. Echinacea gave a brief response and drew her slip. When she unfolded the paper, she saw the number 8 written on it.
"Looks like luck isn't on your side, Echinacea."
Ian clicked his tongue, then pulled out the bracket and wrote her name in slot 8. He showed it to her.
The ranking tournament was structured as a single-elimination bracket. Winners advanced, losers fell. Naturally, depending on the draw, even skilled competitors could end up with lower rankings. To compensate for this, there was a system allowing people to challenge for rank changes through duels.
"Your first opponent is Michael. You know Michael, right?"
Next to Echinacea's name was written Michael von Frang Almari. Teresa's younger brother. One of the three first-year students Fatima had mentioned as most worth watching.
"If you win and advance, your next opponent would be Alice. Well, you've already beaten Alice in a duel before, so that's in your favor. Of course, you'll need to beat Michael first. I believe in you. I'm looking forward to it."
Ian patted Echinacea's shoulder with a smile. She had a strong intuition that this bracket wasn't random. But she simply nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you, senior."
Regardless of how the bracket turned out, she didn't care. As Ian looked down at her composed face, about to say something, Echinacea suddenly stiffened. Her keen senses detected another presence. Refined footsteps. Yurien was passing nearby.
"Echinacea?"
Ian called to her with confusion. Echinacea quickly erased any sign of tension.
"Yes, senior."
Of course, she only erased it on the surface; all her senses were focused on Yurien. Yurien had been heading toward the stable entrance when he suddenly stopped. While not quite as sharp as hers, his senses were broad enough to detect her and Ian's presence at the Water Fountain Area. Instead of entering the stable, he began walking toward them.
'If he came for Silphid, why is he coming this way....'
Already dizzy and exhausted, Echinacea suddenly had another thought.
'Did he come to check on me from the start?'
If he suspected she might be the demon of the Demonic Sword, it was natural for him to keep observing her. He might be uneasy about her being alone with others. From his perspective, a potential murderer who could turn at any moment was wandering around his domain.
Thinking about it that way, their frequent encounters made sense. He was constantly watching, and he might be receiving daily reports from places she didn't know about. He'd want to make her his squire as soon as possible, keeping her within his sight. She would appear to him as a time bomb.
If, on the other hand, he had no memory, and was watching her because he'd seen something in her at last year's birthday celebration, then the reason for their frequent encounters was....
"No, it was personal interest."
His words echoed in her mind. Echinacea shook her head without realizing it. Had the fever made her head strange? Out of nowhere, she was imagining things like a romance novel.
"Cadet Echinacea, are you listening to me?"
"Oh, yes? I apologize. What were you saying?"
"Cadet Bred von Poum wants to apologize to you."
"...What?"
What nonsense was this? The absurdity of it swept away even my thoughts of Yurien. Ian spoke with a gentle smile on his face.
"Upon reflection, he realized he made several mistakes and wants to apologize. He asked me to arrange a meeting between you two. What do you think?"
"He wants to meet and apologize? To me? Bred von Poum?"
"Yes. You don't have to accept if you're unwilling to forgive him. Just because he wants to apologize doesn't mean you're obligated to accept it."
What was he scheming? I furrowed my brow. I didn't know Bred von Poum well, but even from that brief encounter, I couldn't imagine him being genuinely remorseful. Unless I had already demonstrated undeniable skill in the ranking tournament—but we hadn't even held it yet. And the one relaying this message was Ian Peletro, no less. Something smelled distinctly suspicious.
"When does he want to meet?"
"If possible, this evening...."
Ian's words trailed off. I understood exactly why he'd stopped. Ian quickly bowed.
"Ar Sebattiem. I greet the Commander."
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org