Chapter 20
When asked what happened to the Giosa who were there after Ajenka was annihilated, the information broker rattled off unhelpful information and then added unnecessary words.
〈Yuriene? The worst captain of all time, the Azure Knights disappeared because he sympathized with that kind of demon. They praised him as the youngest Master, the youngest captain, so he only became arrogant and acted as he pleased, and everyone died because of it. You son of a bitch, you son of a bitch. We should have torn him to pieces a long time ago.〉
It was true. Because of her, Yuriene went down in history as the worst captain, the captain who destroyed the Azure Knights.
Still, she couldn't help but be furious when she heard those words. She wanted to kill the old man in front of her who called Yuriene a son of a bitch. Her mind burned white with that anger.
In the blink of an eye, the Demon Sword that had sprung from her hand had already blown the old information broker's head off. Black Mana, crawling out of the Demon Sword like a snake, mangled his body. She stared blankly at the bloodbath, then fled to avoid the merchant's guards who had come running at the sound.
After that, she heard about the power of the Demon Sword from Bardelgiosa. Even after knowing, she made mistakes several times. Through that process, she was forced to develop self-control. No matter how angry she was, she had to keep one corner of her mind cold.
She muttered bitterly.
"Because I don't want to be tainted again."
Her efforts were not in vain, and by the time she had gathered all the Giosa, she had not made a single mistake. Now she could control it almost perfectly. Still, she wanted to throw away this damn Demon Sword.
[Well, if you can do that for the rest of your life, you're a god. How can a human always maintain reason?]
"I'll throw you away before that happens."
[Instead of that, why don't you use me like my previous Master? If you taste blood from time to time, you can relieve your anger, and I'll be happy too. If you feel uncomfortable killing just anyone, just pick out the bad guys to kill. There are plenty of guys who deserve to die. Oh, how about Ian Pelletero? He's a bad guy!]
"Shut up."
[Tch.]
Eki resumed her steps. In her soul, the Demon Sword whispered softly.
[Do you know how long it's been since you killed someone?]
"……."
[It keeps accumulating, the unresolved murderous intent. I'm giving you serious advice? Find someone who deserves to die and kill them. Ian or Bread, there are plenty of suitable guys, right?]
"I told you to shut up. I'll make the decision."
As she gritted her teeth, the Demon Sword finally fell silent. Eki shook off her troubled feelings with a quick wash of her face and headed to her room.
Inside the room, Alice was sitting at her desk, writing something. When Eki entered, she nodded. She disliked Eki, but she always made sure to greet her.
"Roaz, a telegram has arrived."
Alice said in a reluctant tone and handed over two envelopes.
"Thank you, Winterbell."
"……."
Alice turned her head away. Eki ignored her and took the envelopes, sitting down in her chair. She looked for a paper knife with one hand and checked the surface of the envelopes.
'One is from home, as expected.'
She put down the thick first envelope. Sending messages by Mana telegram cost a fortune as the content got longer, so seeing it sent so thickly meant her parents were very worried. Of course, they would be angry and bewildered. Eki sighed softly.
The second envelope was thin. It was from Nicole. Eki opened it first.
-Tracking, not certain, but the tail of the White Lion is visible.
It was a short line. The blood drained from Eki's face as she read it.
The White Lion was the emblem used by the Imperial Family of the Kyrie Empire. The imperial family to which the Roaz Count family belonged, and to which Yuriene belonged.
'The Imperial Family is related to the Demon Sword in Roaz?'
Eki stared blankly at the paper. Her already complicated head began to ache even more. She crumpled the paper.
Act 3. What is Seen and Unseen
The days flew by in an instant, and the freshman ranking match was just two days away.
The day after chasing Bread away, Ian heard about it from Baraha and came to Eki to apologize for Bread's actions.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea he was that kind of guy. I just assigned him because Cadet Bread had some free time. You won't suffer any disadvantages because of anything related to him. Don't worry about that. I'm really sorry."
He said so in a voice that felt sincerely apologetic. Since then, Bread and Bread's club had not been seen. She had definitely thought they would come in a group to pick a fight, but Ian must have said something.
If Eki didn't have her past memories, she might have thought that Bread was just a strange guy and Ian Pelletero was okay.
She had seen many people who were different on the inside than on the outside, but he was a particularly twisted one among them. She was very suspicious of what he was up to.
Contrary to Ian's warning, the competition to recruit her into clubs was not very fierce. This was because many cadets questioned the process by which Eki was selected as a Squire.
Ekienezia was still followed by disapproving glances. Bad rumors seemed to continue to circulate. There was nothing she could do until she showed off her skills in the freshman ranking match to shut them up.
It wasn't a pleasant situation, but it wasn't difficult either. She had much more troublesome worries than just rumors at the academy.
Of course, there were quite a few cadets who didn't believe those rumors. Baraha was a prime example. He laughed like crazy when he heard the rumors.
"If you know the Captain, you'd never think she's the type to be fooled just because a pretty girl dresses up. Now, keep your hand down and take a good look. You need to see if there are any swollen spots or places that are hotter than other parts."
"Yes, Senior."
Eki was learning how to care for horses from him. Since servants didn't come to the battlefield, it was the Squire's job to take care of the knight's horse in the barracks. She carefully ran her gloved hand down the horse's leg.
"Next, lift the hoof with one hand... that's right. Now, use the hoof pick to dig out any pebbles or anything else stuck in the hoof. Gently from heel to toe."
"Yes."
While Eki was grooming its hooves, the horse just snorted and shook its head once, standing still. Baraha stroked the horse's muzzle as if he was impressed.
The large, smooth horse, like a marble sculpture, was white overall, but its fur had a subtle golden sheen. It was Yuriene's beloved horse, named Silfide.
"Since Squires mainly take care of the Lord's horse anyway, it's better to practice with that horse from the beginning. Horses have quite different personalities. Silfide is docile, so it's easy to take care of."
"Did you take care of Silfide too, Senior?"
"Before I became Baron's Squire, I was Captain's temporary Squire. Oh, use a stiff brush for the mane. She likes to be brushed hard. You can brush down from the neck."
Eki carefully brushed Silfide's fur. Baraha's gaze, which had been watching her, reached the hem of her dress. The Azure Knights' stable was very clean, but there were limits to a place where animals lived. Even though Eki had deliberately worn a calf-length dress for going out, the hem was bound to get dirty with straw and dust.
"Hey, your clothes are dirty."
At those words, Eki glanced down and continued brushing as if it was nothing.
"It's okay, it's not that bad."
Baraha rubbed his chin with an interested expression.
"You know, the more I look at you, the more I think your personality is a little different from your appearance."
"Me?"
"You look like you wouldn't even set foot in a place like a stable, but you don't care about it at all. But it doesn't seem like you're lying about liking dresses. You're really interesting."
Well, both were her. She was the one who didn't care about rolling around in filth if necessary, and she was the one who liked pretty things and dressing up. It was true that her personality was slightly different from her appearance.
Baraha was as big as a bear, but surprisingly quick-witted. He was straightforward and easygoing, so it was quite comfortable to be with him. It was just that he sometimes asked sharp questions that made things difficult.
Eki smiled and changed the subject.
"Senior Baraha, can I just brush the mane?"
"No, you have to untangle the knots with your fingers first. Otherwise, it'll break. Let me show you."
Baraha approached her from behind. He was well aware of the intimidation his size gave off, so he was careful with his movements in front of women and children weaker than him. Even men would flinch when he moved suddenly. Only knights who were good at sensing movements didn't flinch.
But Eki had never shown any signs of surprise from the beginning. So Baraha continued to move comfortably in front of her. Like now, she wasn't afraid even when the large man was close behind her.
When he got close, she smelled good. A floral scent mixed with perfume and cosmetics that could be smelled on noble ladies. Her neck, visible between her light pink hair, was so thin it seemed like it could be grasped in his hand.
No matter how you looked at it, she was a flower, but even with a beast like him behind her, she wasn't nervous at all. She had the most ladylike appearance in the academy, but it seemed like she wouldn't even blink if a sea of blood unfolded right in front of her.
'She's really interesting.'
Baraha smiled and reached over her shoulder, wrapping his fingertips around Silfide's mane. He moved his fingers so she could see well.
"Untangle the tangled parts like this and then brush it."
"I see. Can I try?"
"Yeah, grab it. Yeah, like that. Oh, and originally, you should brush the mane before you brush the body..."
There was a clattering sound from the entrance. Eki and Baraha, who were holding Silfide's mane side by side, turned their heads at the same time.
There was a man who stood out at a glance no matter where you saw him. Yuriene, in casual attire, entered the stable.
Baraha, who was standing almost enveloping Eki, could feel her senses sharpening and tensing up. She acted like she had nothing to fear, but was she afraid of the Captain? He thought it was unexpected, since there was no reason to be afraid of him.
Meanwhile, Yuriene approached them at a pace that was neither slow nor fast. His gaze reached Baraha. Baraha gave an Azure Knights salute.
