Chapter 49
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Chapter 49
"Playing around, are we?"
"This is insane, absolutely insane. What confidence did that senior have to propose a duel?"
"Man, this is genuinely terrifying."
Collar, sleeve edges, button threads, shoe ornaments, the back of the shirt collar, the tips of hair—I was slicing through only those parts with sharp precision, leaving not a single wound on Bred's body. The club members who had initially mocked me began to notice something was amiss, their expressions shifting. Their chatter died down one by one. They gradually retreated, attempting to appear as mere bystanders.
Bred could no longer mount an offense and, gripped by fear, shifted into a defensive stance. It felt like standing naked between venomous snakes with bared fangs—they would approach as if to strike, only to slither across my skin. What terrified him more was the uncertainty of when they might suddenly bite. He would have preferred to be cut quickly.
Yet no matter how hard he tried to block, my blade easily evaded his sword and found its mark. The blade rose as if to cut his groin, then withdrew with a mere scratch on his leather belt, and finally Bred's face turned a sickly shade of blue.
"S-s-stop! Stop!"
Bred shrieked as if screaming. The moment those words left his mouth, my blade lunged forward violently. Bred gripped his sword and squeezed his eyes shut. My blade stopped just a paper's breadth from his nose.
"Open your eyes, senior. It didn't hurt at all, yet you're quite the coward, aren't you?"
My tone was plain, but to Bred it sounded like cutting mockery. Still, he lacked even the will to retort. Bred breathed heavily in silence. The blade hovering a hair's breadth from his nose was chillingly terrifying. So were the violet eyes visible beyond it.
"Will you acknowledge your defeat?"
"I-I acknowledge it. I do. Put the sword away...!"
The blade withdrew cleanly. As it slid into the sheath with a soft click, Bred stumbled and collapsed where he stood. His face had gone pale as if he'd seen a ghost.
As I approached him after sheathing my sword, Bred instinctively scrambled backward, supporting himself with his hands. It was a pathetic sight, yet surprisingly, no laughter erupted among the cadets. The pressure of my swordsmanship had been far more impressive than Bred's shameful display.
I stood before Bred, looking down at him as I spoke.
"Get up, senior. As promised, you must kneel and apologize to our club president."
Fatima, who had been in a daze, snapped back to attention at those words. She approached me and shook her head.
"Oh, Echinacea, I'm fine."
"I'm not fine. Senior Bred, what are you doing?"
Violet eyes tinged with red stared down coldly. Sensing the blade scraping across his neck, Bred scrambled to his feet and dropped to his knees. He bowed his head toward Fatima.
"I misspoke. Forgive me..."
Alice, watching from the side, interjected in her clipped tone.
"A misspeak? Your attitude was no accident. You simply acted on what you ordinarily think, did you not? Do not attempt to minimize your wrongdoing under the guise of a mistake."
"Right? I almost let it slide. Alice, thank you for pointing that out."
I widened my eyes and turned my gaze to Bred. Already pale, he withered completely under that stare. He hastily lowered his head again.
"Y-yes, that's right, what I usually think just slipped out! I was foolish. I'm truly sorry. I won't do it again!"
"Well, um... yes, I understand. You mustn't do this again, and don't cause trouble for our club anymore, alright? You saw it, didn't you? Our club members are even more frightening than me."
Fatima laughed as she scratched her cheek. Bred nodded earnestly, and while Alice frowned, she said nothing more. I let out a shallow sigh.
Rosalind Diasante watched until that point, then turned away. She quietly left the Training Grounds. Most of the cadets had gathered at the 6th Training Ground, so she crossed the now-empty Military Academy and headed back toward the Knights Headquarters. There, at a junction, she collided directly with someone rushing toward her.
"...Diasant Princess."
"Oh my, Your Highness Yurien, or rather, Captain."
Yurien de Harden Kirie steadied his slightly ragged breathing and fixed her with a cool gaze.
"What are you doing wandering about alone?"
"Is the interior of the Changtian Knights not safe?"
"You yourself know well how precarious your situation is. Always bring an escort knight with you."
Rosalind looked up at the expressionless man. Her instincts had awakened. The fact that he had designated a freshman as his squire on the very first day of admission, and that this freshman was the young lady of the Loaz Count Family—these two facts had driven her to investigate Echinacea Loaz in secret. She had referenced the rumors about the Wisdom Club gathering that her maid had brought back.
Rosalind posed a question to transform her suspicion into certainty.
"Captain Yurien, you didn't rush over directly out of concern for me, did you?"
"Your safety is important. There are many who covet you."
"That's not it. You came here in person because you found out where I went. If you were just concerned for my safety, you could have simply sent an escort knight."
She smiled softly and added,
"Echinacea Loaz.... You must have heard that I was going to meet your squire. You surely have ears planted near me."
"...."
Yurien de Harden Kirie closed his eyes slowly, then opened them. His blue eyes, framed by silver lashes, were as sharp as if they would cut if touched.
"Diasant Princess. Do not overstep your bounds."
"My, so she is your line, then?"
"You interpret as you wish. Imagination is free, but remember this."
Yurien de Harden Kirie approached Rosalind Diasante. He whispered in a voice that seemed to freeze the air.
"I have not yet decided anything."
"...Did you have any other choice, Captain?"
"If I were to decide to abandon Holy Sword Langiosa."
The smile vanished from Rosalind Diasante's face. The owner of the Holy Sword had just made an assumption—from his own lips—that he might abandon it. The weight of that implication was far from trivial.
Holy Sword Langiosa cannot be wielded if one commits evil acts. Therefore, the owner of Langiosa cannot act in ways that contradict universal human justice.
In fact, this was the primary reason the Imperial Palace regarded Yurien de Harden Kirie, the lord of Agenka and captain of the Changtian Knights, without suspicion. A person who could only ever act righteously—how convenient a being to handle.
But if he were to release the Holy Sword....
"...The range of choices would become quite vast."
The words Yurien de Harden Kirie uttered sounded gentle at first. Yet they were far more chilling than his sharp warning from moments before. Rosalind Diasante's complexion turned pale.
"Diasant Princess. Return to your room now. I would prefer that you not wander about without an escort from now on."
With those words, he turned his steps toward the Military Academy. Rosalind Diasante remained rooted in place for a long time, unable to move. Only after she had barely calmed her startled heart did she return to her room, murmuring to herself.
"My goodness, he's deeper than I thought. There might actually be a possibility...."
* * *
After Bred von Poum and the Noblesse Club departed, the Wisdom Club continued their gathering. The matter of selecting new club members was decided—both Echinacea Loaz and Alice Winterbell would entrust the decision to Fatima, their club leader. After sparring with one another and having a brief conversation, the first meeting concluded successfully.
As the sparring ended, the cadets who had gathered dispersed one by one. Some cadets followed Fatima, apparently to inquire about joining the club. Echinacea Loaz and Alice Winterbell returned to the Dormitory together.
"While sparring today, I realized that when I attack the upper body, my strength doesn't seem to transfer as well as I'd hoped. What do you think, Echinacea?"
"Hmm.... When you raise your sword high, your lower body tends to lose its center of balance. To maintain your center, it would help to widen your stance a bit more...."
As I walked alongside Alice and continued our conversation, my words trailed off. I came to an abrupt stop.
"Echinacea?"
Alice turned back in confusion at my sudden halt. My gaze was fixed straight ahead. Following my line of sight, Alice spotted a silver-haired man. Recognizing him, Alice quickly performed an Agenka-style salute.
"Ar Sebattiem. I greet you, Captain."
"Cadet Alice Winterbell, would you step aside? I have something to discuss with my squire."
Yurien de Harden Kirie acknowledged her with a nod. He spoke calmly. Alice understood and turned back to me.
"Yes, Captain. I'll go ahead then, Echinacea."
"Ah.... Yes, Alice."
I barely managed to resist the reflexive urge to grab Alice. Fortunately, she didn't notice my strange reaction and, after her greeting, headed toward the Dormitory. Only Echinacea Loaz and Yurien de Harden Kirie remained on the path. I kept my head down.
'What do I do? I can't meet his eyes.'
Now that I was aware of my own heart, I couldn't face him properly. Shyness, guilt, and the situation of his possible engagement all tangled together, pulling my head down. I fixed my gaze on the lace of my dress hem visible below, saying nothing.
Yurien de Harden Kirie was also silent for a while. I could feel his gaze lingering around my lowered forehead, then tracing down along my fallen hair. Suddenly, I became terribly concerned about how my hair looked. I wanted to reach up and touch it, but I was too embarrassed.
'Ugh, my hair must be all messy from sparring....'
Was my outfit acceptable? My makeup? I wanted to check a mirror immediately. It wasn't just the anxiety of being reminded of the Demonic Sword's demon. It was simply that I cared far too much about what he was seeing when he looked at me.
[What are those two doing? They said they had something to say, so why isn't she saying anything? Are they betting on who'll crack first and speak?]
The Demonic Sword grumbled at the tedium. After a prolonged silence, Yurien finally spoke.
"Echinacea Loaz."
"...Yes, Lord."
Her response came a beat too late. Now that she was his squire, Yurien no longer addressed her as a cadet. He'd called her by name countless times before, yet the simple absence of that title made my heart plummet inexplicably.
'No, he used my name right after the appointment ceremony too. It wasn't like this then, so this is just....'
Because I'd become aware of my own heart. All the attention I'd been directing toward him had flushed crimson, and now that I'd recognized it, I felt my face burning. Heat radiated from the nape of my neck to the tips of my ears. There was no way I could lift my head now—not that I'd intended to before, but now it was absolutely impossible.
After calling my name, Yurien fell silent again. His gaze lingered persistently on my forehead, as though he wanted to see the face beneath it. Then he spoke once more.
"Has something happened?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org