Translator: Nox

Chapter 47

That night, she had a long dream.

〈You wouldn't have wanted to do this.〉

Yuriene whispered, pressing her neck down with Rangiosa as he mounted her. A low, quiet voice, not loud at all. The very words she had wanted to shout at everyone who screamed and cursed before her as she cut them down.

'I didn't want to do this either.'

The moment he put into words the scream she wanted to let out but couldn't. From that moment on, he became an indelible mark on her.

〈She is fighting.〉

〈The Demon Sword, and her will.〉

〈I will give her a chance.〉

He noticed her resistance, which she thought no one could ever know, that she hadn't given up yet. And he gave her a chance. A chance that would only be a loss to him.

Beyond the iron door, blue eyes watched her. He was waiting for her, who had killed all her loved ones with her own hands, who had lost everyone who would wait for her.

Again and again, the sun rose and the night fell, the seasons changed, but even though her condition did not change at all, he steadily came to see her. To the demon who caused the massacre, whom no one visited, not even the guards, who only left a bowl of rice beyond the double doors.

Chained in a narrow room in the underground prison, for half a year. He was the only one who came to her, fighting alone.

The only person who waited, hoping she would win. The only person who supported her.

He was all she had. She endured, thinking of him. She gathered the words she wanted to say when she overcame the Demon Sword and met him.

'Why did you give me a chance?'

'Thank you.'

'Thank you for waiting. Thank you for watching over me.'

'I wanted to show you that your choice was right.'

'I will definitely win. So don't leave. Keep watching me. Besides you, no one...'

'I could win because you were there.'

'My name is Ekinesia Roaz. I have black hair now, but my hair was originally pink. My parents named me after the color of the Ekinesia flower. I know your name. Yuriene. I really wanted to call it.'

'Do you know how much I wanted to smile at you with my body moving as I willed?'

'I want to show you a smiling face. Not a howling beast. That's not the real me. Look, this is me. How is it? I hope I look pretty to you.'

'I want to meet you. Do you want to meet me too? Is that why you're waiting?'

She turned those words into strength. She endured, imagining the day she would convey those words to him directly. Those lonely, painful, and futile times.

In that time, the traces he left in her life changed into one emotion. It took root, sprouted, and ripened.

The flower had already bloomed, since then.

* * *

Cadet Ekinesia's body aches lasted for another day before disappearing completely. The next day was the day of Wisdom's first club meeting.

In the meantime, no news related to Yuriene's engagement had been heard. The captain of the royal guard was silent, and Princess Diasante was assigned a VIP room in the royal guard headquarters and stayed there quietly. Only rumors that an engagement might take place spread through Ajenka.

Eki headed to the 6th training ground, where Wisdom's club meeting would be held, with Alice. Alice looked back at her, walking right next to her, slightly worried. The light sky-blue dress with white lace looked bright and cheerful, but Eki's expression wearing the dress was troubled and dark.

"Eki."

"……."

"Eki?"

"Ah, yes? Did you call me?"

"Do you still have a fever?"

"No, you know I'm all better."

"You seem dazed all day yesterday and today."

To be exact, ever since Nicole Sizten visited. Alice examined her. Eki smiled and shook her head.

"It's nothing. I just have something to worry about."

"What are you worried about? Is there anything I can help with?"

"Thank you, but it's okay. It's a mix of personal feelings and family matters."

It was not a lie, although it was a family matter on a rather large scale, and rather complicated feelings. Alice seemed to have doubts, but she was not rude enough to pry into other people's family affairs. She nodded willingly.

"Sometimes, just telling someone can make a worry much better. If you need even that kind of help, tell me anytime."

A straight face, a straight tone. Eki looked up at Alice, walking straight ahead. One side of her confused heart became warm like stew. She remembered Nicole asking if Alice was her friend. She impulsively linked arms with Alice.

"Eki? Why all of a sudden..."

"Just because. Do you hate it?"

"……No."

"Let's go quickly. Fatima sunbae will be waiting."

They arrived at the 6th training ground, arm in arm. The 6th training ground was a medium-sized open space a little away from the women's dormitory, with tall, leafy evergreen trees serving as fences. There were benches under the evergreen trees.

And the benches were packed with Cadets. Cadets who could not occupy the benches sat or leaned against the shade of the trees. Some Cadets even brought mats and sat on them.

"Oh, they're here."

"They're here! Fatima really got them to join her club!"

"It's the Lady."

"She came with the one ranked 2nd."

"They're roommates."

As Eki and Alice approached, a murmur spread. Attention was focused on them at once. Since entering the academy, Eki had become accustomed to the attention, but today's attention was clearly different from before. Envy and jealousy were mixed in.

"She survived the Node..."

"She must have been lucky. Baraha probably did everything..."

"Didn't you see her during the freshman Ranking match? She was amazing."

"She was the one during the Monster subjugation..."

"They say geniuses are all eccentric."

Low whispers continued to follow. Thanks to her excellent hearing, she could hear almost everything, which made her embarrassed. There were many jealous words, but thanks to her showing her skills, the dirty rumors had clearly decreased.

"Welcome, Alice, Eki!"

Fatima, who had arrived in advance, greeted them. Alice lowered her voice and asked her.

"Sunbae, why are so many Cadets gathered here?"

"Well... There are some spectators, but look at that."

Fatima smiled awkwardly and pointed to one side. A pile of papers was stacked on one of the benches. They were club membership applications. Alice looked dumbfounded.

"Are those all membership applications?"

"Since you two joined our club, the number of Cadets who are interested has suddenly increased. Many of the Cadets there have applied to join. We can't accept them all, so, well, in that sense, there's something I want to ask you."

Fatima shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly.

"Before sparring, let's discuss together how to choose new club members!"

Just as Alice and Eki were about to respond to Fatima's suggestion, a group of Cadets approached the training ground with a rough voice saying to move aside. The movement was so loud that the Cadets' gazes and their gazes were immediately drawn to it.

Four or five large Cadets pushed through the Cadets gathered and entered the training ground. Eki recognized the Cadet standing at the front of the group. It was Bread, who had been spouting nonsense at her.

Bread walked straight towards them standing in the middle of the training ground and glared at Fatima, not Eki.

"Hey, Fatima."

"What's wrong, Bread sunbae?"

"I heard a very unpleasant rumor. Is it true that you are coaxing club members belonging to other clubs to leave?"

"No?"

Fatima widened her black eyes. Bread snorted and picked up the bundle of applications on the bench. Fatima frowned and warned.

"Sunbae, looking at other clubs' membership applications is..."

"Shut up."

He flipped through it roughly and held the bundle of papers out towards Fatima. Then he shook it threateningly in front of her nose.

"Look at this, look at this. Are you pretending not to know even after seeing the names written here? With such obvious evidence? Anyway, all girls are the same. They think others won't know their tricks, stupidly."

As he said that, Bread's eyes glanced at Eki and then turned back. Eki, who noticed it, barely restrained the corners of her mouth from twisting on their own. Come to think of it, that guy had said before, how can you pretend not to know when you wear a dress so obviously.

'The world really judges according to its own standards. Like attracts like...'

Meanwhile, Fatima accepted the application that was held out in front of her nose. After checking the name on the first page, she raised her head.

"I don't know who you're talking about, sunbae."

"It's here, Cadet Mikhail von Fran Almary. Mikhail was supposed to join our Noblesse, so why is his application here? Why are you stealing freshmen who are supposed to join other clubs?"

Bread tapped the application that Fatima was holding and bared his teeth. Fatima blinked her eyes and replied as if she was puzzled.

"Cadet Mikhail is not currently affiliated with any club. Cadet Mikhail wrote and submitted that application himself. Is there any problem?"

"There are many problems, very many. Are you really asking because you don't know?"

"Yes, I don't know."

Fatima, who was even smaller than Eki, tilted her head like an innocent child in front of Bread, who was glaring at her as if he was about to hit her. Bread looked around at the surrounding Cadets and sighed as if to show off.

"Fatima Toya. There are certain courtesies that must be observed between clubs."

"What courtesy did I break?"

"I told you, don't you know how rude it is to receive an application from a Cadet who is supposed to join another club?"

"Did Cadet Mikhail submit an application to the Noblesse club? Or did he even make a verbal promise to join the Noblesse?"

Bread was momentarily speechless at Fatima's question. Because neither was true. The Noblesse had only unilaterally marked Mikhail, the younger brother of the Giosa Owner. Bread's face gradually began to turn red and blue as he had nothing to say.

"……Hey, where are you arguing with your sunbae?"

"It's the Cadet's freedom to apply to any club. And sunbae, even if they are affiliated with a club, isn't it also free for club members to leave and move clubs?"

"Haa... This is why we shouldn't allow uncivilized barbarians to establish clubs. Common sense doesn't work. Isn't that right?"

Bread muttered annoyedly and looked back at his club members who had come with him. They burst into laughter as if agreeing.

Fatima Toya, with her dark skin and small stature, was from a western nomadic tribe.

Nomads who lived in clans and wandered the grasslands only maintained loose alliances and did not create structured countries like other countries on the continent. As a result, they were often subjected to rude prejudices such as being barbarians or uncivilized.

Eki frowned sharply. However, before she or Fatima could say anything, an angry voice quickly intervened.

"Apologize."