Chapter 51
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Chapter 51
[Why are you suddenly pulling out hair?]
"Sometimes life calls for it."
[What are you talking about? Master, you've gone strange.]
"Someone like you, who knows nothing but the satisfaction of bloodlust, wouldn't understand."
[Hey, that's my nature, you know?]
I left the Demonic Sword to its grumbling and rose from bed. Diligent Alice was absent, having gone to dawn training. I opened the wardrobe and selected a dress for the day. Rummaging through the interior, I withdrew a delicate lace-woven fabric draped over a deep violet lining.
'I'll need summer dresses soon. I should contact home and have them sent.'
Perhaps I should do some shopping since fashions have changed. What clothing shops are there in Agenka? I mused absently while pulling on my stockings. Then I startled at my own thoughts. Thinking about shopping while dressing? And so naturally, at that. How many years had it been?
Now that I thought about it, I'd grown accustomed to lingering in bed rather than rising immediately. Years ago, sleep felt less like rest and more like briefly closing my eyes, and even after my return, lying idle without purpose had been torture.
I lifted my gaze to the mirror. A youthful twenty-year-old looked back at me. I continued studying my reflection while fastening the petticoat's ties.
The eldest daughter of Loaz, a countess's daughter. A girl who loved beauty and delighted in adornment. Not the demon of a nameless Demonic Sword, but 'Echinacea Loaz'.
After becoming bound to the Demonic Sword, my original self—the one I'd lost—had somehow returned.
Yet this didn't mean I'd reverted to my former ignorance. I had changed profoundly.
I'd learned to dedicate myself entirely to any effort that could yield results. I'd mastered restraint and endurance. Even amid fury, I'd trained to keep one corner of my mind ice-cold. My perception of people had transformed. I'd become both more honest and more secretive.
During those agonizing years, I'd never slept properly. Happiness was rare. I thought only of my goal. Beyond the bare minimum for survival, I didn't enjoy life. I witnessed much filth and committed acts bordering on crime. Without such measures, I couldn't have gathered all the scattered Giosa members within merely nine years after Agenka's fall.
From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, my soul had undergone transformation so profound it was nearly inverted. Yet I hadn't forgotten how to be happy. I hadn't completely lost my former, ordinary self. As ease seeped into my parched heart, what had vanished began returning.
Desires emerged—things I wanted to do, things I loved, things I wished to possess. I laughed more. Since my return, I'd laughed more times than in all nine years prior.
Not everything was resolved, and new problems arose. I learned of things I'd never known. The future remained uncertain, and variables lay scattered everywhere. I didn't know what to do with the emotions I'd awakened.
Still, the present was far better than the past I'd erased. I smiled slightly while fastening a jeweled pin in my hair.
'I should make time for shopping later. Who would I go with? Nicole dislikes shopping... Would Alice enjoy it? What about Fatima?'
Going together would surely be delightful. Imagining it, my lips kept curving upward throughout my makeup, causing me difficulty. As I finished and stood, a different thought suddenly occurred to me.
'What style does Yurien prefer?'
The moment I thought it, embarrassment flooded through me, and my cheeks flushed. The emotion, long suppressed and only recently blooming, was so sweet and tender that maintaining composure was nearly impossible. My heart escaped my control and swelled of its own accord. Like she had, I imagined him looking at me and calling me beautiful.
"Ugh. Ugghhh...."
I made an odd sound and covered my face with both hands. My face burned crimson. I fanned myself and bounced on my toes before finally calming down.
Then the black mark on my right palm caught my eye. The symbol of the past that always made me vigilant. The stain left by nightmares. My eyes cooled instantly. The heat flooding my face subsided. I stared down at the evidence of the Demonic Sword.
[Why are you looking at it? Do you have something to say?]
"No, it's nothing."
I picked up deep violet silk gloves to match the dress. The mark on my palm disappeared beneath the gloves. A long breath escaped me. The mirror caught my eye. What reflected there was the resplendent Echinacea Loaz. A woman concealing the demon of the Demonic Sword.
'All those expressions of Yurien's were directed at Echinacea Loaz, weren't they?'
At the birthday celebration, he'd said he saw her. Personal interest, he'd called it. There might be possibility for 'Echinacea Loaz'. Excluding the circumstances surrounding him and the engagement issue, based solely on his demeanor.
I didn't dare hope that possibility would be realized. I shouldn't. Yet I didn't want to be discovered. Absolutely not. Desperately. I feared seeing his expression change toward her more than being exposed as the Demonic Sword and hunted. It was a feeling logic couldn't explain.
I clenched my right fist and left the room.
I visited Nicole, who was staying at the Knights Headquarters. When I mentioned that starting tomorrow I'd be departing on a long-term mission with Commander Yurien, Nicole pushed up her monocle in apparent bewilderment.
"A long-term mission at this point? Over a week? Could take a month?"
"Yes."
"This makes no sense. You're the one who understands the situation best. You're postponing your decision and going where?"
Nicole swept her hair back and furrowed her brow.
"Echinacea, have you heard anything? What exactly is he going for?"
"I can't disclose the mission details."
"...Well, I see."
"Anyway, that's why starting tomorrow, neither I nor the Commander will be in Agenka. Sister, I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry about the Diasant Princess. I'll be here too.... Today, Commander Yurien assigned the Giosa Owner to serve as the Princess's escort. That must be why he needed to free up his schedule."
"The Owner? Who?"
"Teresa. Baron is male and the Vice-Commander, so Teresa was the better choice."
Beyond the engagement itself, if the Diasant Princess died, the Imperial Family might use it as a pretext to pressure Yurien further. Having heard this concern from Nicole, I felt a quiet relief knowing the Princess would be safe.
That much was rational calculation. But emotional questions about what kind of person the Diasant Princess was, or what her relationship with Yurien was like—those threatened to surface, so I hastily brought up another matter.
"By the way, Sister."
"Hmm?"
"In your opinion...do you think the Demonic Sword was placed by the 2nd Prince's faction or the Crown Prince's faction?"
"...Even if you knew that, what could you actually do about it?"
"Still, I need to know. I can't just not know who tried to massacre us."
My tone was calm, but somehow unsettling. Nicole fell silent for a moment before answering slowly.
"Honestly, I think the 2nd Prince's faction is more likely. But I can't be certain. There's no evidence. Everything I've told you so far comes from what I've learned within the Mage Tower, among mages, and from piecing together information about the Capital's situation. To learn anything beyond this, I'd have to investigate the Imperial Palace...."
"No, don't investigate the Imperial Palace. Absolutely not. That's far too dangerous."
If an investigation into the Imperial Family's affairs was discovered, I could be charged with treason. It was excessively dangerous. I didn't want to lose Nicole again. I could find other ways to investigate, but once someone was lost, they couldn't be recovered. I smiled slightly.
"I think it's best we don't look into this any further. Thank you, Sister."
"You don't need to thank me."
Nicole shook her head and leaned back in her chair, looking exhausted. She murmured in a weary voice.
"I was thinking I'd make whoever placed the Demonic Sword in Loaz pay. But now I can't find out, and even if I did, there's nothing I can do. The only answer is to be careful so things don't get more dangerous here. I'm sorry, Echinacea."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I only know all this because of you. I can see you're doing your best, even volunteering to escort the Princess. So from now on, you be careful too."
I quietly took Nicole's hand resting on the table. She flinched in surprise and looked down at our joined hands, then murmured.
"You've really changed."
"Is that strange?"
"No. I thought you were just a child, but now...."
Nicole studied my face across from her. My cheeks had hollowed slightly, making me look more delicate, yet somehow I didn't appear weak. And looking into those vivid violet eyes, I somehow felt reassured in a way I hadn't before. Was it because I'd become the Demonic Sword's master? Had it changed me this much? If so, that would be rather bitter indeed.
"...You've grown up, Echinacea Loaz."
"Of course. I've already had my coming-of-age ceremony."
"I thought you'd need at least another five years to mature."
At Nicole's words, I shot her a sharp look. That expression was so familiar that Nicole burst out laughing. Soon we pushed aside the dark conversation and began chatting about everyday things.
I had lunch with Nicole and then borrowed something from her before we parted ways. I'd already told Alice about it yesterday evening, so the next person I needed to inform was Fatima. I had to tell her in advance since I wouldn't be able to attend the Club meeting.
I crossed through the Knights Headquarters toward the Military Academy. Before leaving the headquarters, I encountered a familiar person in the corridor.
"Echinacea, it's been a while."
"Senior Baraha Islaf."
This was my first meeting with him since the appointment ceremony. After that, I'd been bedridden, and then I'd attended Club meetings. Now that I'd become a full Squire, the preliminary Squire training had ended, so there was no longer any reason to meet regularly.
Baraha looked me over and smiled faintly.
"Are you fully recovered from your illness?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern."
"I wanted to visit you at least once, but the Lord kept me so busy."
He spoke with a dispirited tone. Now that I heard his words, I noticed the hollows beneath his eyes. He was cradling an enormous stack of documents. His large frame had concealed just how towering the pile was—had I attempted to carry it, the stack would have completely obscured my vision. I regarded the mountain of paperwork with weary eyes.
"What is all of this, senior?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org