Chapter 50
“Yes?”
“Was there something… strange, or unpleasant…?”
A cautious question, as if treading on thin ice that might break at any moment. Hesitation clung to the very end of the question.
I wondered what kind of expression he was making. Was he blinking nervously, like I’d seen him in the barracks during the Monster subjugation? I wanted to know, but I still couldn’t lift my head. I’d rather be stuck back in the Node.
She had no idea how to handle the deep, sensitive trembling of emotions she was experiencing for the first time. She could only feel the heat spreading from her chest, making her face, fingertips, and toes burn.
As the emotions that had been suppressed for so long began to overflow, they became a flood, shaking her mind.
“Ekinesia?”
[Hey, what are you doing? Sleeping on your feet?]
Lost in thought, she didn’t answer his question. He called her name, sounding puzzled. The Demon Sword also spoke to her, as if poking her in the side. Eki barely managed to pull herself together and opened her mouth to answer.
But what had he asked? Her head was spinning. She’d already forgotten. She hesitated, then finally replied.
“I’m, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
“…I asked if something had upset you.”
The end of his sentence trailed off slightly as he asked again. He sounded dejected. Eki, overwhelmed by her own emotions, didn’t notice. She quickly shook her head.
“Nothing happened.”
“Really? Did… Did you meet anyone?”
He swallowed the name of someone that had almost slipped out and rephrased the question. Eki was confused.
Did I meet someone and get upset? Is he talking about Bread? How does Yuriene know that guy? Is it because of the club issue? Did Bread’s club cause trouble, and it reached Yuriene’s ears, as the royal guard captain?
Thoughts raced through her mind in an instant. She answered without thinking.
“If it’s about a club dispute, we resolved it with a duel. I wasn’t really upset.”
“…A club dispute? What’s that?”
“Isn’t that what you were asking about?”
“No, I was…”
Their words were missing each other. Yuriene, who had been flustered, spoke again in a calmer voice.
“I’m asking if you encountered anyone else besides the club dispute. Someone who isn’t a Cadet.”
“Someone who isn’t a Cadet? I didn’t see anyone like that.”
Who is he talking about? Eki wondered inwardly. She could feel Yuriene sighing softly.
“Then that’s fine. …Are you feeling any better?”
“I’m all healed. If you have any orders, I can start my Squire duties right away.”
“No, there’s nothing like that. Get plenty of rest. I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
It was a businesslike tone. Eki expected him to turn around and leave now. But he moved as if to take a step, then stopped. His gaze lingered on her forehead again. She was still looking down. They hadn’t made eye contact once.
Yuriene asked quietly.
“Ekinesia, do you dislike facing me?”
A similar question to the one he’d asked in the stable. But it sounded a little heavier and sadder than before. A faint tremor in his voice. It was somehow so heartbreaking that Eki raised her head without realizing it.
“It’s not that I dislike it. It’s not that….”
The moment her eyes met his, who had been staring intently at her, she was at a loss for words. His delicate face was focused on her. His eyelashes fluttered. His listless eyes looked sad. His blue eyes shimmered like a rain-soaked sky. He furrowed his brow and asked softly.
“If you don’t dislike it, then why… don’t you look at me?”
A wounded, pitiful expression directed at her.
I’m going crazy. That was the only thought that crossed her mind. Seeing him after becoming aware of her feelings was too much stimulation for her. She was immune to this kind of thing.
Eki’s face flushed red from her chin to her forehead. Reason had already been swept away by the flood, leaving no trace. Eki moved her lips without knowing what she was saying.
“Because you’re pretty.”
“……”
[……Hey, did you… eat something wrong?]
The Demon Sword asked in an uncharacteristically hesitant tone. Right in front of her, Yuriene’s eyes widened. His mouth hung open blankly. An awkward silence settled between them.
Only then did Eki, regaining her senses, recall what she had just blurted out.
‘Pretty…? What? I’ve gone crazy.’
She just wanted to disappear from the spot. What is Lakiageosa doing? Why isn’t he creating a Node for this abnormal situation that would never have happened before the regression?
Eki hurriedly avoided Yuriene’s eyes. Her expression crumpled as if she were about to cry. No, she genuinely wanted to cry.
And then, a soft laugh burst from him. Yuriene covered his mouth and laughed. Eki lowered her head again and stared at the lace trim. She felt like she was dying of embarrassment. In the midst of all this, she heard the Demon Sword clicking its tongue in her ear. Damned Demon Sword…
She didn’t raise her head until he stopped laughing. So she didn’t see the look of realization and determination spreading across Yuriene’s eyes and expression.
He composed himself and said in a voice still tinged with laughter.
“Ekinesia.”
“Yes, yes! I’m sorry, Lord. I was out of my mind for a moment….”
“No, it doesn’t matter. More than that….”
Yuriene hesitated for a moment. Eki tilted her head slightly as he trailed off. He was looking into the air as if contemplating something. Without realizing it, her gaze lingered on his profile. Then, suddenly, he turned to look at her. Eki flinched in surprise and looked away as if she hadn’t been looking.
“The day after tomorrow, I have to go outside Ajenka. It might take quite a while. It could be dangerous. Moreover, due to the schedule, I won’t be able to participate in the Academy’s Ranking match. Still, would you like to come with me?”
“……Yes?”
It was such an unexpected proposal that she could only ask back, dazed. Yuriene added an explanation with a calm face.
“Originally, I was going to go alone, but if… if you don’t find me uncomfortable, I’d like you to come with me. It’s a request, not an order, so you don’t have to accompany me if you don’t want to.”
“What kind of mission is it?”
“I can’t tell you the details of the mission right now. …It’s hard to decide right away, I suppose. If you’re thinking of coming with me, let me know by tomorrow. If I don’t hear anything, I’ll take it as a refusal. I’ll say it again, you don’t need to feel pressured.”
It was a very cautious invitation. He was looking down, as if afraid of the answer. Seeing that, Eki answered reflexively.
“No, I’ll go. It’s only natural for a Squire to accompany the royal guard on his mission.”
And she immediately regretted it.
‘Wait… This might be Yuriene trying to test if I’m the Demon of the Demon Sword in a place where no one else can interfere. He might have felt the need to check on me, a variable, before deciding on the engagement issue.’
The thought that surfaced pierced her heart sharply. The heart that had been dyed with newly awakened emotions sank in an instant. A stinging sensation, like when she watched the Holy Sword she couldn’t reach, spread from within.
But just as she was about to fall into that sensation, Yuriene smiled in front of her. A boyish, excited smile. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes were beautifully creased. Eki’s thoughts stopped.
“Thank you.”
He replied in a voice full of joy, then quickly continued, as if afraid she would take it back.
“Then, the day after tomorrow, come to the royal guard office by 10 a.m. with your travel preparations. The schedule is at least a week, and it could take up to a month depending on the situation. Keep that in mind when preparing. If you need anything, ask the clerk in the administrative department.”
“……Yes, Lord.”
“I’ll be waiting, Ekinesia.”
Yuriene said kindly and turned away.
Eki stared blankly as he walked away. She felt like she had made a huge decision without realizing it. A dangerous decision that might reveal her as the Demon of the Demon Sword. That’s why her heart ached.
That was definitely the case, but suddenly she felt good. Reason hadn’t returned. Only the smile he had shown lingered in her mind.
As long as I don’t get caught, maybe, no, but what about the engagement issue? And the inescapable circumstances he’s in?
‘I don’t know… My head isn’t working right now.’
[Master, you’re really weird? Why are you following him? You should be avoiding him, but what are you going to do if you get caught alone with him?
“I don’t know either, so don’t ask me.”
[Huh? You decided! What do you mean you don’t know? Ah, is that it? Are you going to secretly kill him when you get to a place where there’s no one else? Wow, that’s a good idea! There are too many eyes watching in the royal guard, so in a secluded place, ugh, ack! Ouch! Hey, what are you doing!]
Eki poured Mana into her clenched right hand. The Demon Sword whined and complained, but she didn’t withdraw the Mana until she returned to the dormitory.
And her flushed cheeks didn’t cool down either. Alice, who saw her return, was worried and asked if her fever had risen again.
* * *
The next morning, Eki regretted it as soon as she opened her eyes.
‘I was crazy. Why did I say I’d follow him?’
She couldn’t believe what she had been thinking when she made that decision. It was even more so because she knew why she had done it. The problem was that there was no guarantee that she would be able to refuse if the same situation came again.
Yuriene’s face, when he asked why she didn’t look at him, was so pitiful. She was afraid that if she refused, he would make that expression again. The face he made when he smiled brightly like a boy at her answer that she would go with him. The smile she saw when she accepted was worth accepting.
‘That kind of expression is cheating.’
Eki, who was tearing at the innocent pillow, buried her face in the blanket. Pink hair was scattered haphazardly on the white blanket. She was lost in thought, twisting and untwisting the hair with her fingertips.
‘Was I always so weak to faces? Or is it because it’s Yuriene?’
I don’t know which one it is because the first person I fell in love with is too beautiful. Yuriene is also very tall and slender, but he is not feminine because he has trained his body like a Knight. Nevertheless, because of his delicate appearance like a marble statue, I feel that he is beautiful when I see him.
‘Even so, what’s with “pretty,” “pretty”….’
“Ack!”
While thinking about the accident she caused yesterday, too much force was applied to the hand that was twisting her hair. Eki, who had pulled out a few strands of her straight hair, looked at her hand with a dumbfounded expression and sighed.
