Chapter 31
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Chapter 31
Without hindering Yurien de Harden Kirie's movements in the slightest, I drive my blade decisively through the smaller monsters he misses. My motions are efficient and economical—there is no flourish, no technique that catches the eye. Yet somehow, my presence commands attention.
Behind me, silver hair wreathed in white mana, my deep purple dress skirt dances and billows with each step. The trailing sleeves, rather than merely following the sword's arc, trace intricate patterns through the air.
A Red Cap emerges from its burrow, grasping at my ankle—but I sidestep with nothing more than a light spring in my step, my eyes never dropping. The tall heel of my ribbon-adorned ankle boot pins the creature's arm in place, and my silver-dusted blade finds the monster's brow without hesitation. When its blood erupts upward, I dodge it with the delicate distaste of a lady avoiding mud splashed by a carriage.
The feathered hat perched atop my head never once shifts. Its steadiness is silent testimony to the perfect balance I maintain through every movement.
Because of this, I remain exactly as I was when we departed—not a single bloodstain mars my appearance. It is a sight utterly incongruous with this space of fog, shambling corpses, and stench. That I maintain this pristine state is itself proof of my skill. The fact that I don't so much as blink when a rotting-eyed monster lunges is merely a bonus.
'So the Commander suddenly appointed a Squire without warning.'
'Perhaps genius recognizes genius.'
'Two monsters gathered together. The full-grown monster and the growing one.'
'I questioned her sanity when I saw what she was wearing, but... at this level, it doesn't matter what she wears. There's nothing to criticize.'
Those watching from behind involuntarily clicked their tongues in admiration. Their eyes drifted toward me without their realizing it. Then, all at once, they turned their heads away. It was because I had casually lifted my dress skirt as I walked. The sight of dark stockings visible beneath the lace petticoat in a monster lair where corpses shambled about was far more stimulating than anyone had anticipated.
'The silver powder is falling off.'
As far as I was concerned, it was not an intentional action. I hadn't lifted the hem particularly high in the first place. I gathered the dress skirt in one hand and opened the pouch secured to my thigh with a leather belt in the other.
Those without mana coat their blades with silver powder mixed with blessed dust to fight monsters. Without it, ordinary steel struggles to damage creatures with strong regeneration. Some phantom-type monsters cannot be harmed at all except by silver-dusted blades.
In truth, I have no need for such tools, but since I must conceal my status as a Master, I use the silver powder as well. As I coat my blade, I kick away the skeleton's legs and crush its skull with the elongated heel of my ankle boot.
'It's surprisingly useful, this thing.'
I chuckle softly, then my brow furrows as I look down at my heel. The black shoe is a complete mess—covered in monster blood, viscera, and bone dust. These were shoes I rather liked, too. There's nothing for it. I sigh inwardly and raise my blade again.
Yurien de Harden Kirie has no reason for concern. There are many monsters, but no high-tier ones like Dullahan appear. Worrying about him in this minor lair when I wouldn't even worry if a Dullahan emerged would be wasteful. I glance subtly toward the rear of the formation. I search for Alice's golden hair, but another glimmering blonde catches my eye first—Mikhail.
'Teresa is in the Left Canyon, so why is he here?'
Curious, I observe for a moment. Mikhail is fighting well enough. Then our eyes meet directly. It's because Mikhail has been stealing glances at me the entire time. The moment our eyes lock, his face flushes crimson and he whips his head away.
'What's wrong with him?'
I tilt my head in confusion, then quickly lose interest and locate Alice. She's covered in some monster blood but unharmed. Concerned there might be danger, I check several more times, but Alice is performing her duties with her characteristic sincerity and meticulousness. Fatima and Ian belong to Teresa's Suppression Unit, not this one, so they're not visible.
Finally at ease, I turn my attention forward. Even while looking away, I habitually dispose of the miscellaneous monsters Yurien de Harden Kirie misses. It's going more smoothly than expected—almost tedious, even.
As the sun climbs to its zenith and begins to descend, Yurien de Harden Kirie calls the entire Suppression Unit to a halt.
"We'll rest here. Everyone, take time to eat."
The unit members clear out the nearby monsters, then sit or lean against various surfaces, eating dried meat and drinking water for lunch. I pull out some dried meat and chew it when I notice something odd about Yurien de Harden Kirie's behavior.
He isn't eating. Instead, he gazes upward at the sky. I follow his gaze. The fog is thick enough that an ordinary person couldn't see the sky at all, but Yurien de Harden Kirie and I are superhuman—such fog poses no real obstacle.
Clouds are gathering in the sky. It looks highly likely that rain will pour down by evening. The clouds are dark and heavy; lightning might even strike.
'Rain, lightning, night.'
The circumstances when Baraha Islaf died. My nerves sharpen. Yurien de Harden Kirie lowers his gaze. Our eyes meet.
Blue eyes blink slowly. In those eyes, in those actions, there is something that strikes like lightning. I understand what he's thinking. We just looked at the same thing and thought the same thought. I can even guess what order he'll give. I've realized it.
He turns from me to regard the unit members and issues his command.
"The weather is poor. We'll postpone the afternoon subjugation until tomorrow and return to Camp."
Trusting their Commander, none of them voice objection. The unit members begin gathering their belongings. I stand frozen. Yurien de Harden Kirie approaches and lightly places his hand on my shoulder.
"Cadet Echinacea Loaz. You've worked hard. Rest well once we return to Camp."
With those words, his hand quickly withdraws from me. I watch him recede, my face drained of color.
'He remembers. He definitely does.'
[Hey, that guy... he definitely...]
The Demonic Sword mutters in surprise. I close my mouth and follow the unit members as they depart. I gather together everything that has happened so far, every word he has spoken. Certainty crystallizes in my blank mind.
Yurien de Harden Kirie knows. He knows the erased past. The things that have now become events that never occurred. He possesses memories from before the regression.
What she had wanted to deny crystallized into certainty and crashed down upon me. My mind felt numb as I processed it.
'Then why doesn't he hate me? Why doesn't he try to kill me?'
I couldn't comprehend it. Retracing my steps along the path where all the monsters lay dead, leaving only stench and mist in their wake, I continued to dwell on that single thought.
I recalled Rangiosa, which I could never grasp, and the Fountain stained with blood. I thought of the corpses scattered around it and Agenka, drained of life. I thought of his name—branded as the worst commander, the one who destroyed Changtian. I thought of his dying eyes.
If Yurien de Harden Kirie had been corrupted by the Demonic Sword, slaughtered the entire Count Loaz Estate, trampled over my parents' and Lancel's corpses, and come to meet me, I would have hated him. Even if my mind knew it wasn't his fault, my heart could never have forgiven him. If I had died by his hand afterward, I might have cursed him with every breath until my last.
Yes, I had done exactly that to him.
Yurien de Harden Kirie wasn't even merely a victim. He was the one who believed in me, pushed himself to his limits, and gave me the chance to overcome the Demonic Sword. He could have disposed of me, yet he refused to do so and dragged me into his own territory instead.
'How much must he have regretted it. How much must he have resented me.'
I simply couldn't believe that he didn't hate me. At best, he might have felt some pity for me. Perhaps his noble character prevented him from cursing me outright.
Yet no matter how optimistically I tried to think about it, he—carrying those terrible memories—couldn't have shown me such an unguarded smile last night. He couldn't smile like that before the one who killed him. He couldn't possibly show me kindness.
"He doesn't know. It has to be that. There's no other explanation."
I murmured it like a groan. My voice ended in something like a shriek. The Demonic Sword, which had been pondering alone, quickly seized upon my words.
[Don't know? What exactly doesn't who know?]
"I...."
I swallowed the rest unspoken. Even in the quietest voice, there were unit members nearby heading back to the Camp, and I didn't want to pronounce that word. Demonic Sword.
Yurien de Harden Kirie didn't know that Echinacea Loaz was the demon of the Demonic Sword. Or perhaps he suspected it but couldn't be certain. The deduction I had made right after our first reunion came back to me.
'If he has memories but lacks proof, only watching and waiting. If he suspects me as the demon of the Demonic Sword, uncertain what I might do at any moment... he would keep me as close as possible and monitor me. Until he finds undeniable evidence. Yes, there's no other explanation that fits.'
Thinking it through this way, it all fell into place with startling precision. I could understand why he challenged me to a duel, why he acted as though he held me in favor.
Yurien de Harden Kirie is testing me. Now that time has turned back, he—unaware of who reversed it—would try to determine whether this cadet Echinacea Loaz, who didn't exist in the past, possesses memories from before the regression. And simultaneously, he would be carefully probing whether 'Echinacea Loaz' is the demon of the Demonic Sword.
Once he becomes certain that I am the demon of the Demonic Sword, he will....
My mouth turned unbearably bitter. Something felt crushed inside my chest. I stared blankly ahead. Yurien de Harden Kirie's retreating figure as he walked back to the Camp was pale and immaculate. I didn't want to see that sight, so I closed my eyes.
* * *
Rain began pouring down after sunset—a downpour so fierce I worried it might tear through the canvas of the Tent Camp. Before long, thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky.
I sat at the entrance of the Tent Camp, lifting the canvas slightly to peer outside. The world beyond the rain was pitch black. Torches couldn't withstand the deluge, and only a handful of expensive magical lamps barely managed to emit light precariously. Each time lightning flashed, the surroundings were briefly revealed in white before sinking back into darkness.
The deafening rain drowned out nearly every other sound. Only the patter of rain and the rumble of thunder remained—a silence within noise. The Camp within that silence was peaceful. Both Teresa's group and Yurien de Harden Kirie's group had returned without serious casualties, only minor injuries.
I drew my knees up and rested my chin upon them. My violet eyes remained fixed in one direction without the slightest movement. Though I wore the same dress as during the day, my unwavering gaze and the quiet way I hunched my body made me resemble a predator stalking its prey.
[Not bored?]
"Not particularly."
I answered curtly. My eyes were fixed on Baraha Islaf's Tent Camp. Simultaneously, I expanded my senses to their fullest, detecting everything around me. I had maintained this state for over three hours already. It should have been exhausting, but my mind remained remarkably sharp.
I was concentrating on this task precisely because I didn't want to think about Yurien de Harden Kirie. I emptied my mind completely, focusing only on detecting danger from all directions.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org