Translator: Nox

Chapter 52

“What is all this, Senior?”

“It’s all documents related to the festival going to the Lord. Budget reports, proposals, requests, surveys…”

“Festival?”

“The Summer Solstice Festival. It’s less than a month away.”

The Summer Solstice Festival was the most common festival on the continent. It was a large-scale festival period that lasted for three days, from June 20th to 22nd, commemorating the day with the longest daylight hours of the year.

Today was May 22nd, so it really was less than a month away. Since the Vice-Commander was in charge of most of the administrative work in the Azure Knights, his Squire, Baraha, seemed to be busy as well.

“Ajenka must hold a large-scale festival too.”

“Didn’t you know? The royal guard leads a grand festival in downtown Ajenka. People even come from other countries on purpose. There’s also a Azure Knights parade in the middle of the festival. The Masters’ parade is quite a sight.”

Baraha, who was explaining with a smile, suddenly looked like he had remembered something. He asked Eki,

“I didn’t properly congratulate you on becoming a Squire because you weren’t feeling well before. When are you free?”

“Ah…”

She had completely forgotten. The problem was that Eki was leaving for a long-term mission tomorrow morning. If it took a month, she would be back around the time of the festival. She felt sorry for refusing Baraha’s offer to congratulate her twice.

“Are you perhaps available today?”

“Today, I have a lot of work. How about another day? I have some free time tomorrow or the day after.”

Baraha looked down at the documents, sighed, and asked again. Eki looked embarrassed.

“I’m going on a long-term mission with the Commander from tomorrow. They said it might take about a month.”

“…With the Commander? I heard he was going on that mission alone.”

“Ah, he suddenly asked me yesterday if I would like to accompany him. I’m his Squire, so of course, I agreed.”

“So you’re going on a long-term mission alone with him?”

Baraha’s expression became strange. Eki looked up at him, puzzled.

“Yes. Why? What’s wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Baraha’s workload had increased sharply because of Yuriene’s long-term mission. Since the Commander, who should be preparing for the festival together, would be away for a long time, the Vice-Commander’s work increased, and along with that, the work of the Vice-Commander’s Squire, Baraha, also increased.

Yuriene had handled as much work as possible before leaving, but the vacancy was inevitable.

So, he couldn’t even visit Ekinesia because his work increased due to the Commander, but Ekinesia was even accompanying him on his long-term mission at the Commander’s request.

It was inevitable that Baraha momentarily recalled the incident in the stables. The incident where he reflexively stepped back from Yuriene’s gaze. And the incident where Yuriene told him that the Vice-Commander was calling him, but when he went, the Vice-Commander asked him why he had come so early. When he recalled Yuriene hugging Ekinesia right after she came out of the Node, his brow furrowed.

Suspicion became certainty, which gave rise to another suspicion.

‘Is it really a coincidence that my work has increased like crazy?’

“Senior?”

“Huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.”

At Eki’s question, he quickly erased his thoughts. And he quickly made another suggestion.

“Eki, you’ll be free after you return from the mission, right?”

“Yes, probably.”

“It might be right around the Summer Solstice Festival when you get back. Then, can you spare about half a day during the festival?”

He asked with a gentle smile. Feeling sorry for having refused him repeatedly, Eki readily nodded.

“Yes, then I’ll see you then. And I’ll treat you to a meal. I’ve learned a lot about the work of a Squire thanks to you, Senior, so I should treat you.”

“Hmm. Well, we’ll see about that then. Have a good trip, Eki.”

Baraha smiled meaningfully and said goodbye. Eki returned his greeting and headed to the 2nd-year girls’ dormitory to find Fatima.

After telling Fatima that she would be absent from club meetings for a while, it was already around evening when she returned.

She had dinner with Alice and packed her luggage late into the night.

She packed a leather travel outfit in case of unavoidable circumstances, but most of her luggage consisted of dresses and accessories. Considering that she would be with Yuriene, she couldn’t give up the image of ‘Ekinesia Roaz, a noble lady.’ Naturally, the amount of luggage was no joke.

Knowing this would happen, she had borrowed a magic bag from Nicole earlier. The magic bag, which could hold as much as five ordinary bags, was also the reason why Nicole’s room was always a mess with various knick-knacks whenever she returned to the Roaz estate. Thanks to this, Eki was able to pack all her luggage into one bag.

With those preparations completed, the next morning arrived.

On May 23rd, Squire Ekinesia Roaz departed on a long-term secret mission, following Lord Yurien de Harden Kirie.

Act 6. Getting Closer to What Doesn’t Break.

Eki and Yuriene traveled by Mana train. The train, which ran using magic powered by Mana, was the fastest means of transportation connecting various parts of the continent.

The tickets Yuriene had booked were for the first-class cabin, which was a small room with two long sofas facing each other across a table.

They entered the cabin, placed their luggage in the luggage compartment, and sat facing each other. Then, only awkward silence flowed. Eki couldn’t look at Yuriene across from her and turned her gaze to the window.

A bell rang as a signal for the train to depart, and the scenery outside the window began to move. The vibrations of the swaying train were transmitted from the walls to her body. The train left Ajenka Station and began to cross the fields.

She blankly watched the desolate scenery, which didn’t have much to see. Then, she became concerned that Yuriene was being too quiet and subtly turned her head.

He was leaning against the sofa with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. The long eyelashes of his closed eyes cast a shadow on his white skin. His flowing silver hair sparkled, absorbing the sunlight coming through the window. It was a picture-like, serene appearance.

‘Is he asleep?’

The tension drained from Eki’s body, which had been on high alert. Even when she adjusted her posture, Yuriene didn’t even flinch.

Eki leaned comfortably against the sofa. She crossed her legs, rested her elbows on her knees, and propped up her chin as she looked at him across from her.

With his impressive sky-blue eyes hidden behind his eyelids, he looked more like a sculpture meticulously crafted by an artisan than a living person.

The faint rattling of the train and the sound of his and her breathing filled the space. As she quietly looked at him in that space, her heart beat a little faster.

A fleeting moment colored with emotion. Eki endlessly gazed at him, thought about touching him, remembered that she shouldn’t, and soon fell into complex thoughts.

The Emperor, the Second Prince whom the Emperor cherished and supported, the First Prince and Crown Prince who received support from his maternal and marital families, their conflict, and the Third Prince, Yuriene, who was the target of everyone’s vigilance. The final hand extended by the Crown Prince, the engagement with Princess Diasante. A tightly woven, snare-like situation.

Suddenly, she remembered when she first reunited with him in front of the fountain. At that time, Yuriene had told her, whom he called Commander, to call him by his name. And when he said his name, he didn’t use his surname.

‘The surname of the imperial family… Does he want to get rid of it if he can?’

A life where he lost his mother at birth and was hated by his father for it. A life where he was a thorn in the side of his brothers and forced to make choices.

As someone who was born into an ordinary family as the daughter of a loving couple and grew up being loved, she couldn’t even imagine what that kind of life would be like.

Somehow, one side of her chest ached.

‘I thought he was just a noble person born in the light.’

The Yuriene she knew was only a small part of him. She wanted to know more about him. How he had lived, what dreams he had, what he liked, what he disliked, what he wanted.

‘Will he get engaged when we return from this mission?’

For Roaz’s sake, he had to get engaged. She knew that. Nevertheless, she didn’t want him to get engaged. She didn’t want to imagine Princess Diasante and Yuriene getting engaged.

Then what should she do?

She didn’t know. If it were her own problem, it would be one thing, but this was Yuriene’s problem. She had no right to interfere in his problems. No matter how much she wanted to interfere. The relationship between Ekinesia and Yuriene was only that of a Squire and a Lord.

‘If we were in a different relationship, I could tell him not to get engaged. I could tell him to overcome the situation he’s in by other means, to work together. My family’s safety is probably not something he’s worried about, but anyway, I can protect Roaz, so I want to tell him to do as he pleases. If he and I were lovers…’

At the word ‘lovers’ that she had inadvertently thought of, a random delusion popped up. Eki groped her cheeks to see if they were flushed, then hurriedly took out a mirror to check. Fortunately, her face wasn’t red.

She sighed in relief and raised her head, only to find blue eyes staring straight at her.

“Oh, when did you wake up…”

“I wasn’t asleep.”

Yuriene replied quietly. Eki barely calmed her startled heart. While she put the mirror away and tightened the tension she had released, Yuriene quietly stared at her. Feeling burdened by that, Eki said anything that came to mind.

“Lord, where is our destination?”

“A small village in the Criolla region of eastern Empire. We’ll get off at Criolla Station at night, then take a carriage again. It seems we’ll be sleeping in the carriage. We’ll arrive near our destination around morning.”

He explained in a soft voice. It was a region within the Empire, but one she didn’t know well. Eki hesitated, then asked again.

“Can you tell me the details of the mission now?”

Yuriene didn’t answer immediately. He took a long breath and exhaled slowly. His lips twitched, then closed, and he lowered his eyes.

‘He’s nervous… Why?’

While Eki was wondering, he seemed to have organized his thoughts. He slowly opened his mouth.

“You probably know about Healing Sword Elgiosa.”

“…Yes.”

Eki tried not to show her surprise. Immediately after Yuriene’s engagement incident broke out, she recalled the past events that she had organized on paper. The fact that Healing Sword Elgiosa was discovered only after the Saintess was murdered. Yuriene continued.

“The purpose of this mission is to recover Healing Sword Elgiosa and rescue Healing Sword Elgiosa’s owner.”