Chapter 11
Nicole's expression shifted slightly at those words. Cadet Ekinesia Roaz lowered her eyes. Nicole quietly studied Eki's face, then finally spoke with a sigh.
"...I don't know what you're hiding, but I can tell you're sincere. You're openly saying you can't tell me, so I don't know what to ask."
"Later... someday, I might be able to tell you."
"Fine, do as you please. You're trusting me enough to show me the Demon Sword, so I have to trust you too, right?"
Nicole tossed the words out casually, then put her monocle back on, which she had thrown away earlier. Though her words were nonchalant, the sentiment within was far from light.
Eki suddenly felt choked up. She truly felt that all the hardships she had endured were nothing compared to the cost of a life lived. Those emotions inevitably seeped into her voice.
"Nicole, thank you... really, thank you."
"There's no need to thank me. Whether it's investigating or protecting, I would have stepped forward even if you hadn't asked. Did you forget? I'm a magician sponsored by the Roaz. It's only natural for me to help the Roaz."
Nicole chuckled and pulled out a blank parchment and quill from a haphazard pile of papers on one side of the table.
"First, tell me more about the circumstances of discovering the Demon Sword. Squeeze out any other clues that might be helpful. When are you leaving for Ajenka?"
"As soon as I'm ready. The Military Cadet exam is soon."
"By the way, what are you going to tell your parents? You said you wouldn't mention the Demon Sword. You're not planning on running away from home, are you?"
Eki took the quill and parchment from Nicole's hand. She meticulously recorded the circumstances of discovering the Demon Sword, muttering to herself.
"If I honestly say I want to become a knight, my parents would be horrified, right?"
"Horrified is an understatement. Their precious daughter suddenly wants to become a knight. Count Roaz might faint."
"I guess I'll just say I'm going on a trip."
"A trip? With what excuse?"
"I'm getting to the age where marriage talks will start soon, right? I'm an adult now. I'll just say I wanted to travel at least once before getting married. I'll travel to Ajenka and then get married."
"...And then you'll arrive in Ajenka and take the Military Cadet exam? How is that different from running away from home?"
"I'll come back home after I become a knight, so it's a trip. A long trip."
Nicole pinched her forehead as if she was dumbfounded. Eki nonchalantly added.
"If there's any progress in the investigation, or if anything happens, contact me in Ajenka, Nicole. Be careful not to get hurt. If it seems dangerous, don't dig in alone and be sure to contact me."
"Who's worrying about whom right now...? You're talking as if you're sure you'll pass? What if you fail?"
"That will never happen."
"Even if you have the Demon Sword, you have to hide it. There will be geniuses who have honed their swordsmanship their whole lives. Can you really do it?"
"I'm more of a genius than them, so it's okay."
Nicole's face contorted. Eki didn't particularly like her talent, but at this moment, she felt quite amused. She laughed out loud. It was a genuinely pleasant laugh, the first in a long time for her.
A week later, Ekinesia Roaz embarked on a month-long journey. The itinerary included Ajenka, the holy land of knights.
Act 2. The Unknown and the Possible
The Ajenka Military Academy selects 50 Military Cadets between the ages of 18 and 25 each year. The term as a Cadet was three years. If they failed to become a Squire or Associate Knight within three years, they had to graduate and leave the Azure Knights.
Military Cadets resided in the academy's dormitory and took turns serving formal knights or Associate Knights who did not have a Squire.
Alice Winterbell, the runner-up freshman, was heading to the dormitory. She was in a bad mood. She was confident that she would enter as the top student, but she was the runner-up. Moreover, there was a strange rumor attached to the freshman who entered as the top student, surpassing her.
'Wearing a dress, no way.'
She hadn't seen the top student because the exam halls were different. Still, she was certain that a woman who was so extravagant and empty-headed that she would wear a dress to the exam hall could not have entered as the top student, surpassing her. It must be nonsense spread by those who were dissatisfied that the top and runner-up were both twenty-year-old women.
'I'll see her soon anyway.'
The dormitory was a double room, and her roommate, assigned with the acceptance letter, was the rumored top student. Alice put all her luggage in one large bag and went to find the room she had heard about in advance.
'Room 101... This is it.'
The academy's facilities were good. Alice scanned the wooden door with a brass nameplate engraved with the number, then knocked. It would be rude to enter immediately if her roommate had arrived first.
"Yes, who is it?"
"This is Alice Winterbell, assigned to Room 101."
"Ah, come in. It's open."
Alice opened the door. And froze as soon as she opened it.
Boxes, boxes, boxes. And countless open bags. Dresses hung in a row, jewelry boxes piled up, colorful silk scarves, and fancy hats laid out on the bed.
In the midst of that chaos, a pink-haired woman was organizing her luggage. Wearing a frilly skirt, lace gloves, and even a hat with fresh flowers.
"...What, in the world..."
As Alice muttered involuntarily, the woman turned to the entrance and gave an apologetic expression.
"Ah, I just arrived too. It's a bit messy while I'm organizing, right? I'll clean it up soon. I chose the bed first, is that okay?"
"Who... are you?"
Alice asked with a glimmer of hope. Maybe that person was her roommate's sister, or a maid—a fancy one, but still a maid—or someone who had found the wrong room. Not her roommate and this year's top student.
But the woman crushed Alice's hopes mercilessly and extended her hand.
"I'm Ekinesia Roaz, nice to meet you."
It took Alice Winterbell 30 minutes to organize her luggage. In contrast, Ekinesia Roaz had been organizing her luggage since morning and still hadn't finished by lunchtime.
'There's so much. Why did she pack so much?'
Nora had packed her luggage after setting a trip of about a month to and from. Nora packed enough for Eki to wear a different outfit every day for a month.
This was the result. Organizing it alone felt endless. The thought of the luggage increasing when the seasons changed made her feel faint.
Of course, the Count and Countess hadn't sent their precious daughter with so much luggage alone. Two knights of the family were assigned as escorts, and Nora had come along as well.
Eki had quietly moved with them until Ajenka. Then, in the middle of the night, she slipped out of the inn, submitted her application for the preliminary exam, slipped away from the knights and went out to take the preliminaries, and postponed the return date until the results were announced.
The rest was simple. She sent Nora and the knights away with the words, 'Oh dear, I've become a Military Cadet. Now that it's happened, I'll work hard in Ajenka. Please explain it well to my parents.'
At first, they didn't understand at all. They persuaded Eki, saying it must be an accident or a mistake.
But after seeing the list of successful candidates posted at the entrance of the academy, they couldn't say such things. Eki's name was at the top, not just barely passing. They returned with ghostly faces.
In fact, Eki hadn't intended to be the top student. She had intended to be in the top ranks without standing out, but the average level of the Military Cadets was lower than she had expected.
Until the preliminary round of cutting logs and the first test of sparring between applicants, she was able to observe the other applicants and adjust accordingly. The problem arose in the second test, which involved sparring with an Associate Knight of the Azure Knights.
Eki's body itself hadn't been trained much since her regression, so it wasn't very strong. She had to cover her weak body with technique and Mana, but there was a high probability of getting caught if she secretly used Mana while sparring with an Azure Knights Associate Knight.
So she tried to make do with technique, but she slightly failed to adjust. This was partly because she didn't see other applicants sparring because the second test was conducted individually.
'I'll be getting a telegram from home soon.'
They'll be incredibly angry. They'll be very worried too. They'll have a hard time understanding. But it couldn't be helped. The only way was to become a knight as soon as possible, get rid of the Demon Sword, and return.
"...Excuse me, Miss Roaz."
Eki, who was putting away her jewelry box, turned her head. Alice Winterbell was standing there with a face that seemed to have made a big decision.
Alice was a neatly cut, light blonde beauty. She was quite tall. Eki wasn't short either, but she had to look up. She had a slightly rigid impression, but Eki didn't dislike rigid people.
"Yes, Miss Winterbell."
"...What is all this luggage?"
Alice's gray eyes scanned Eki's luggage once. There were still unopened bags piled up. Her eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake as she looked at them.
"They're my clothes and accessories."
"Is that all of it?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
Contempt flashed across Alice's face. She gritted her teeth as if suppressing something.
"...A Military Cadet whose goal is to become a knight wouldn't need this many clothes."
"I do."
"Need? Cadets are provided with cadet uniforms, aren't they?"
"I have no intention of wearing such shabby things. Military Cadets basically have free dress code, right?"
"...Then you're saying you'll wear these even when handling a sword?"
"Yes. What's the problem?"
Alice couldn't hold back any longer at Eki's nonchalant answer. She raised her voice sharply.
"Is this a ballroom? Or a tea party? Do you even realize that this is the sacred Ajenka Military Academy?"
"There's no rule in the academy regulations that says you can't wear dresses, Miss Winterbell."
"There's no way there would be such a ridiculous rule! Because it's obvious!"
"Why is it obvious?"
"Because it's not knightly!"
Alice's cheeks were slightly flushed with anger. Although their actual ages were the same, Alice felt much younger to Eki, who had regressed to the past. To be honest, she found Alice, who was angry because it wasn't knightly, cute and fresh.
But apart from being cute, it would be tiring in many ways if her roommate kept pointing things out. It would be necessary to suppress her spirit to some extent. Eki asked with a smile.
"What does Miss Winterbell think is knightly?"
