Translator: Nox

Chapter 51

[Why are you suddenly pulling out your hair?]

"There are times like that in life."

[What are you talking about? My Owner has gone strange.]

"Someone who only knows how to satisfy their bloodlust like you wouldn't understand."

[Hey, that's my instinct, okay?]

Eki ignored the Demon Sword's grumbling and got out of bed. Diligent Alice had gone to early morning training and wasn't there.

She opened the closet and chose the dress she would wear today. After rummaging through the inside, she took out one made of thin fabric woven with lace over a dark purple lining.

'I'll need a summer dress soon. I should ask them to send me one from home.'

The fashion must have changed, so should I do some shopping? What kind of clothing stores are there in Ajenka? Eki put on her stockings and thought absentmindedly. And she was surprised by her own thoughts. Thinking about shopping while dressing up. How many years has it been?

Come to think of it, she had become accustomed to lingering in bed instead of getting up right away in the morning. In the past, it felt more like dozing off than sleeping, and even after returning, lying down without doing anything was a torment.

Eki looked up and looked in the mirror. She saw her youthful twenty-year-old self. She put on her petticoat, tightened her corset, and continued to look in the mirror.

The eldest daughter of Roaz, the Count's daughter. A girl who liked pretty things and enjoyed dressing up. Not an unnamed Demon of the Demon Sword, but 'Ekinesia Roaz'.

The original self that she had lost after being tainted by the Demon Sword had returned before she knew it.

That doesn't mean she's gone back to the days when she didn't know anything. She has changed a lot.

If it was something that could be obtained through effort, she became able to put in effort even if it meant giving everything. She learned restraint and patience. She trained herself to keep a corner of her mind cool even while angry. Her perspective on people changed. She became more honest and more secretive.

During those painful times, she couldn't sleep properly. She rarely felt happiness. She only thought about her goals. She didn't enjoy life except for the minimum actions for survival. She saw a lot of dirty things and committed acts close to crimes.

If she hadn't done that, she wouldn't have been able to gather all the Giosa scattered after the fall of Ajenka in just nine years.

From head to toe, her soul was completely turned upside down, and she underwent great changes. But she didn't forget how to be happy. She didn't completely lose her ordinary self.

As her parched heart became more relaxed, the things that had disappeared returned.

She had things she wanted to do, things she liked, and things she wanted to have. She laughed a lot. The number of times she laughed after returning was more than the number of times she laughed in the past nine years.

Everything wasn't completely resolved, and new problems arose. She also learned things she had never known before. What the future holds is still unknown, and there were many variables. She didn't know what to do with the emotions she had realized.

Nevertheless, now was much better than the erased past. Eki smiled slightly as she put a jeweled pin in her hair.

'I should take some time later to go shopping. Who should I go with? Nicole hates shopping, so... Would Alice like it? What about Fatima?'

It would definitely be fun if they went together. Imagining it made it hard for her not to smile while doing her makeup. As she finished and got up, she suddenly had another thought.

'What kind of style does Yuriene like?'

She was embarrassed by herself for thinking that and her cheeks flushed. The emotions that had been suppressed for so long and had just bloomed were so sweet and soft that it was hard to come to her senses. Her heart swelled out of control.

Eki imagined him looking at her and saying she was pretty, just as she had done.

"Ugh. Ugh..."

She made a strange noise and covered her face with both hands. Her face turned bright red. She fanned herself and barely calmed down.

Then, the black mark on her right palm caught her eye. A symbol of the past that always made her wary. A stain left by a nightmare.

Eki's eyes cooled in an instant. The heat that had gathered on her face also subsided. She stared silently at the evidence of the Demon Sword.

[Why are you looking at me? Do you have something to say?]

"No, just."

She picked up dark purple silk gloves to match her dress. She hid the mark on her palm under her gloves. She let out a long breath that she had been holding in.

The mirror caught her eye. Reflected in the mirror was the glamorous Ekinesia Roaz. A woman hiding the Demon of the Demon Sword.

'All of Yuriene's expressions are directed at Ekinesia Roaz.'

He said he saw her at the anniversary banquet. He said it was a personal interest. There might be a possibility for 'Ekinesia Roaz'. If you look only at his attitude, excluding the situation surrounding him and the engagement issue.

She doesn't dare to want that possibility to come true. Because she shouldn't want it. Still, she doesn't want to be caught. Absolutely. Desperately. She was more afraid of seeing his expression change towards her than of being chased for being caught with the Demon Sword. It was a feeling that couldn't be explained by logic.

Eki clenched her right hand tightly and left the room.

She visited Nicole, who was staying at the royal guard headquarters. When she told her that she would be leaving on a long-term mission with Commander Yuriene from tomorrow, Nicole raised her monocle as if embarrassed.

"At this point, a long-term mission? More than a week? Could it take a month?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't make sense. The person who knows the situation best. Where is he going to go, postponing the choice?"

Nicole swept back her hair and frowned.

"Eki, haven't you heard anything? What on earth is that person going to do?"

"He said he couldn't tell me the details of the mission."

"...Huh, really."

"Anyway, so from tomorrow, neither I nor the Commander will be in Ajenka. Nicole, please take care of things."

"Don't worry about Princess Diasante. I'm here too... Today, Commander Yuriene assigned the Giosa Owner as the Princess's escort. He must have had to leave his seat, so that's why."

"Owner? Who?"

"Teresa. Baron is a man and the vice-commander, so Teresa was the better choice."

The engagement is one thing, but if Princess Diasante dies, the Imperial Family might use that as an excuse to put more pressure on Yuriene. Eki, who had heard that from Nicole, was relieved that the Princess would be safe.

This far is a rational judgment.

Eki quickly brought up another matter because she felt like emotional questions would pop out, such as what kind of person Princess Diasante is and what her relationship with Yuriene is.

"Hey, Nicole."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think... Which side do you think put the Demon Sword there, the Second Prince's side or the Crown Prince's side?"

"...It's not like you can do anything about it even if you find out."

"Still, I need to know. I can't not know who tried to annihilate us."

Eki's tone was calm but strangely chilling. Nicole was silent for a moment before answering slowly.

"Honestly, I think the Second Prince's side is more likely. But I can't be sure. Because there's no evidence. The information I've told you so far is the result of combining what I've learned from inside the Magic Tower and among the wizards, and the situation in the capital. To find out more than this, you'd have to investigate the Imperial Palace..."

"No, don't investigate the Imperial Palace. Absolutely not. It's too dangerous."

If it was discovered that she was investigating the Imperial Family, she might be charged with treason. It's too dangerous. Eki didn't want to lose Nicole again. Investigations can be done using other methods, but once a person is lost, they cannot be regained. She smiled slightly.

"I don't think it's a good idea to find out any more. Thank you, Nicole."

"You don't have to thank me."

Nicole shook her head and leaned back in her chair as if exhausted. She muttered in a weak voice.

"I was going to make sure that whoever put the Demon Sword in Roaz wouldn't get away with it. Now I can't find out or do anything about it. There's no answer except to be careful not to get more dangerous here. I'm sorry, Eki."

"It's not your fault. It's all thanks to you that I found out. I know you're doing your best to volunteer to protect the Princess. So now you be careful too."

Eki gently took Nicole's hand on the table. Nicole flinched in surprise and looked down at their touching hands before muttering.

"You've really changed."

"Is it weird?"

"No. I thought you were just a kid, but now, how should I put it..."

Nicole looked into Eki's face as she sat across from her. She hadn't lost much weight, so she didn't look any stronger, but somehow she didn't seem like the younger sister she had to take care of anymore. Looking into her clear purple eyes, she even felt strangely reliable.

Is it because she became the Owner of the Demon Sword? Is that what changed this child so much? If so, it would be quite bitter.

"...You've grown up, Ekinesia Roaz."

"Of course. I even had my coming-of-age ceremony."

"I thought you'd need at least five more years to grow up."

Eki glared at Nicole's words. Seeing that, Nicole burst out laughing. They soon put aside the dark story and began to chat about everyday things.

Eki had lunch with Nicole and then borrowed something before parting ways. She had already told Alice last night, so the next person she had to tell was Fatima. She had to tell her in advance that she wouldn't be able to attend the club meeting.

Eki crossed the royal guard headquarters towards the academy. Then, before leaving the headquarters, she ran into a familiar person in the hallway.

"Eki, long time no see."

"Baraha."

It was the first time they had met since the appointment ceremony. She had been sick after that, and then she went to the club meeting. Since she became a formal Squire and the Squire preliminary training was over, there would be no regular meetings now.

Baraha scanned her and smiled.

"Are you all better from being sick?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern."

"I wanted to visit you, but the Lord worked me too hard."

Baraha said glumly. Hearing that, the area under her eyes looked dark. She was also carrying a huge stack of documents.

She was big, so she didn't notice, but it was a mountain of documents so high that Eki wouldn't be able to see if she held them. She looked at the pile of documents with a disgusted look.