Chapter 78
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Chapter 78
Echinacea Loaz stood near the flower bed in front of the Headquarters Building, waiting for him.
The slender line of her calf and ankle visible beneath her short dress. Her long hair cascading down, catching the late afternoon sunlight. Her slightly parted lips exhaling a faint sigh. Her eyes dimmed slightly by fever, lacking their usual clarity. Her face sunken with exhaustion, devoid of expression.
Yurien de Harden Kirie stopped at the entrance. As if sensing his presence, she lifted her head and turned to face him. Her lowered eyelashes fluttered open wide, and her eyes took him in, a faint joy—*ah, you've come*—spreading across her pale face.
It was nothing significant. She would probably not even remember it. The expression that appeared on her face could hardly be called a smile; it was merely the smallest hint of joy that emerged when the person she had been waiting for finally arrived.
Yet in that moment, Yurien realized how desperately he longed for her to smile at him. His heart pounded heavily—*thump*.
He had only ever witnessed her sobbing, tormented by guilt, gasping from nightmares, burning her will to overcome it all. So perhaps that was why, seeing even these fragments of a smile, an emotion impossible to describe welled up inside him, making him feel as though he could accomplish anything.
Fearing his agitation might show, he quickened his pace. As he walked, he heard her footsteps following softly behind. The moment he heard them, he slowed his stride. His gait was wider than hers, after all. He matched his speed to hers. With each step, he heard his own heartbeat.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Female Dormitory, he approached her. She accepted the envelope from him, her eyes widening with confusion as she looked up at him. Her face was beautiful again, and his expression softened of its own accord.
"Don't overexert yourself."
If he continued to face her any longer, nonsense might spill from his lips. He left those words behind and turned to go, gently pressing his hand against her shoulder in encouragement.
As Yurien de Harden Kirie moved away from her, he looked down at the hand that had touched her shoulder. The shoulder he had briefly grasped was slender and warm from fever, but unlike at the Fountain, it was no longer trembling.
That small change kept him in high spirits throughout the entire day.
* * *
The next day was the day of the freshman ranking tournament. The previous day, at least during morning training he had been able to concentrate, but today, even with a sword in hand, his focus scattered. He worried about how she would fare in the ranking tournament while her body was in such poor condition. Yurien eventually abandoned his morning training and left the Commander's Private Training Ground.
"Ar Sevattiem. The investigation you requested yesterday has been completed."
A man dressed as a servant, waiting outside the training grounds, whispered softly as he offered a towel.
"Good work. What did you find?"
"I've submitted it in writing."
Yurien de Harden Kirie felt the rustling of paper inside the towel the man handed him. He checked his surroundings and unfolded the towel to read the contents.
―Bred von Poum, third-year cadet, ranked 68th among cadets, member of the Noblesse Club, second son of the Marquis von Poum family of the Kirie Empire.
Known for arrogant character with poor reputation within the Military Academy. Went to provide squire training to Echinacea Loaz at the Cadet Representative's request, but returned limping and cursing.
'The exact nature of the incident is unclear, but it appears that Echinacea Loaz harbors considerable ill will toward him.'
With such a character and lingering resentment, he was spouting nonsense about "apologies" and such. Moreover, Ian Peletro, who was conveying this, was filled with malice just before taking action. No matter how he looked at it, something was suspicious.
"Investigate Bred von Poum's recent movements. It appears he may be plotting something."
"Ar Sevattiem."
The informant disguised as a servant saluted and withdrew. Yurien de Harden Kirie returned to the Headquarters and met Baron in the Vice Commander's Office.
"I need to look into the internal affairs of the Military Academy clubs. Do you know of any cadets you could recommend?"
"Clubs, you say? Which club are you referring to?"
"The Noblesse."
"Isn't that a closed organization that won't accept members from lower-ranking families? What is this about?"
"There's a cadet in the Noblesse Club showing suspicious activity. To conduct an investigation, I need to understand the club better."
"Hmm... Baraha Islaf would know the internal affairs of the Military Academy well. I'll have him brought here."
Baron called for a servant and ordered him to fetch Baraha Islaf. Then he regarded Yurien de Harden Kirie, who was seated on the sofa, with slight unfamiliarity.
"This is the first time I've seen the Commander take an interest in Military Academy matters."
The Commander of the Changtian Knights had enough to do managing Agenka, conducting diplomacy with various nations, and overseeing the knight order. Military Academy affairs typically ended at the level of administrative office staff. Matters that reached the Commander were limited to serious issues already investigated, awaiting only a final decision. It was unusual for a Commander to personally intervene from the very beginning of an incident.
"Could this be related to Cadet Echinacea Loaz?"
"...I believe you to be discreet."
"Understood."
Baron, who had known Yurien de Harden Kirie for a long time, asked no further questions. Not long after, Baraha Islaf arrived. Yurien de Harden Kirie asked him if he knew any cadets well-acquainted with the Noblesse Club.
"Yes, I do."
"By this evening, gather intelligence on the Noblesse Club's structure through that cadet. Find out about the factions and groups within, the Club Leader's control, where the power lies—everything."
The power structure among cadets was always best understood by those within it. Baraha Islaf quickly took down his words, then hesitated before asking.
"By this evening, sir?"
"Do you need more time?"
"...No, sir."
Because of this command, Baraha Islaf missed watching Echinacea Loaz's ranking tournament. He returned looking somewhat deflated. Yurien de Harden Kirie handled only the most urgent matters before heading straight to the Military Academy.
If the Knight Commander openly attended a freshman ranking tournament, it would cause an uproar. So he pulled his hood low and positioned himself on the outer staircase of the second-floor Spectator Stands, where he wouldn't be easily spotted from the first-floor Tournament Arena or Waiting Room. He watched Echinacea Loaz's matches through the window by the stairs.
'Still not fully recovered, I see.'
Only Yurien de Harden Kirie noticed that she was ending her matches in a single stroke because her body wasn't in peak condition. He was also the only one displeased with the match between Alice Winterbell and Echinacea Loaz.
'She's pushing herself again.'
Seeing her overcome her fatigue and even provide instructional sparring for that cadet Alice stirred both concern and jealousy within him. For someone who knew her true capabilities, the match was frustratingly restrained, yet it only made him hunger for more. He wanted to cross blades with her.
Would the day ever come when he could spar with her? Would he ever reach a level where he could converse with her through their swords? His yearning grip tightened on the window frame. He watched her blade until the very end before quietly leaving his post.
* * *
On the 10th of May in the year 1629 of the Divine Calendar, the Changtian Knights' Suppression Unit departed for White Raven Gorge in the north.
In the past, casualties in the Suppression Unit had largely been caused by Specters that appeared at night, but there had also been numerous injuries sustained during daytime subjugation operations. The monster situation in White Raven Gorge was severe. Based on his past memories, Yurien de Harden Kirie expanded the Suppression Unit's size to prevent casualties.
He intended to handle the Specter himself. Without the Specter's attack, he couldn't catch the scene of Ian Peletro attempting to kill Baraha Islaf, but he couldn't let the Specter rampage just to catch that man.
'Perhaps he might try a different method.'
May 12th. Upon arriving near White Raven Gorge, Yurien de Harden Kirie held a meeting with his knights. A knight returning from reconnaissance reported that the number of monsters was greater than expected, but since the Suppression Unit itself had grown larger, there was little concern. The subjugation seemed to proceed smoothly.
After the meeting ended, Yurien de Harden Kirie encountered Dietrich on his way back. Dietrich grinned and gestured to him.
"Hey, the atmosphere seemed nice, didn't it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Your squire and Baraha. They were setting up the tent together."
"...."
"They seemed to match well, so I helped out a bit. That Baraha fellow just isn't delicate about such things."
Yurien de Harden Kirie's eyes wavered. To hide his agitation, he lowered his gaze and asked quietly.
"Do you think they suit each other?"
"Well, Baraha definitely seems to have some affection for her.... I'm not sure if it's gone as far as romantic feelings. And Cadet Echinacea Loaz doesn't seem to dislike him either, right? As they spend time together, they'll grow closer, and once they do, they'll naturally start dating."
Dietrich spoke lightly while observing Yurien de Harden Kirie carefully. When Yurien's expression remained calm, Dietrich scratched the back of his head.
"Yuri, you really have no interest in her, right?"
"Why do you keep asking about such things?"
"Because you're my best friend and you're like a stone—I worry whether you'll ever manage to have a proper romantic relationship, that's why!"
"Mind your own affairs. Teresa frowns whenever your name comes up."
"That's all just concern, concern. Indifference is always the scariest thing, after all."
"So, you'll just keep circling around?"
Dietrich answered with a fairly serious expression.
"For now. Look, I need to at least reach a level comparable to Teresa before I can even think about confessing or not. So first I'll become a Master, and after that, I'll definitely become a Giosa Owner. I know it sounds like I'm chasing empty dreams for someone still just a quasi-knight...."
"It's not an empty dream. You will become a Giosa Owner."
"...I'm grateful for the words, you bastard."
Dietrich laughed briefly, waved his hand, and headed toward his own tent.
Yurien knew the future where Ian would become the owner of Leminggiosa. He had already seen it. Even his death. The image of his and Teresa's corpses hanging from the angel statue at the Fountain surfaced in his mind, and nausea churned in his stomach. He shook his head.
'Even if the future where he becomes the owner of Leminggiosa comes to pass, that death is a future that will not occur.'
Echinacea Loaz had made it so. This world now was the world she had obtained. Her destruction had not been her will, but the salvation she had created was.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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