Chapter 76
[…Master, don't tell me you're about to…]
Yuriene moved before the Holy Sword could finish speaking. His actions were faster than expected. He roughly opened the stable door.
"Oh, and you're supposed to brush the mane before the body……."
Ekinesia and Baraha simultaneously turned their heads toward the entrance. Ekinesia was almost buried in Baraha's arms, who was standing close behind her. Their fingers were gripping the mane side by side. They looked very intimate.
Seeing that made him feel even worse than before.
A feeling like his insides were twisting.
The emotion that a certain poet had called a green-eyed monster, jealousy, was being born within him for the first time.
What calmed him was the sight of Ekinesia tensing up as soon as she saw him. Her senses sharpened and turned toward him warily. She had looked comfortable when she was with Baraha, but she became very tense when she saw him.
Recognizing that was like ice water being poured over boiling lava. Yuriene approached them, repeating common sense to himself.
It's her freedom to be close to whomever she wants. He has no right to interfere with her friendships.
Unlike what he was repeating, his mouth moved on its own.
"Baraha."
"Arse Sebatiel. Yes, Commander."
"Baron is looking for you. Go see him."
Baron was indeed looking for Baraha. Baron had mentioned in passing this morning that he had only given Baraha preliminary training and told him to go home right away, but now that he had something to assign him, he should stop by before leaving. So it wasn't a lie.
Yuriene justified himself that way.
"Understood. Eki, finish the brushing and go back. We'll do the rest next time. Oh, Commander, were you here to use Silfide?"
Eki. Eki, was it.
It was Ekinesia's nickname. Baraha was calling her by her nickname in a friendly tone. Yuriene himself had only spoken to her once, in front of the fountain, but Baraha, who hadn't known her for very long, was already calling her by her nickname.
He hid the swirling emotions and replied calmly.
"Yes. Were you giving Squire preliminary training?"
"Yes, that's right. We were just brushing, so it's okay to stop."
As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily went to the two of them, who were still standing close together. The emotion likened to a monster was indeed a monster, and it didn't listen well.
Hearing it was very different from actually seeing and hearing it in front of him. He felt extremely violent.
As if his subconscious had reached them, Baraha took a step away from Ekinesia. Then the boiling subsided a little. The monster raging inside him became a little calmer.
'What the…… I'm out of my mind.'
While Yuriene was dumbfounded by his own state, Baraha was talking to Ekinesia.
"Eki, finish up and go back."
"……Yes, Senior."
The end of Ekinesia's voice trembled noticeably. Perhaps wondering about that, Baraha was about to say something more. Yuriene reflexively cut him off.
"Baraha. I told you to go see Baron."
"Ah……. Yes, thank you."
Baraha finally left the stable. As soon as she and he were alone, the twisting inside him completely subsided.
[Master, what on earth was that just now?]
The Holy Sword asked, sounding dumbfounded. Yuriene didn't understand it himself, so he had nothing to say and remained silent.
Ekinesia was hurriedly tidying up the tools. Her movements were rushed. The brush hit the edge of the bucket and bounced out.
The brush rolled and stopped at Yuriene's feet. He bent down and picked it up. When he held out the brush, Ekinesia stiffened as if a sword had been pointed at her.
It was a stark contrast to how comfortable she had looked next to Baraha earlier. A bitter taste filled his mouth.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"Pardon?"
It was obvious that she was uncomfortable, but he asked just in case. The question that came out in a daze and her expression were answer enough. She was wary of him. He had pretended not to remember, and he had deliberately not sought her out since then.
Asking for a duel was a mistake.
He would rather not duel with her forever than have her be wary of him. It was truly regrettable, and he coveted her talent, but if she was wary of him because of it, it was something he could give up.
"If asking for a duel was a burden…… you can forget about it."
Even as Yuriene said that, he didn't realize that he wanted Ekinesia herself more than her as a Knight. He simply and naturally chose that path.
She hesitated and then took the brush.
"No, Commander."
"No? No to what?"
"It's not that the duel is a burden, it's just that it's too much for me. I'll let you know when I'm ready. And, um, thank you for the cloak before. I'll return it soon."
She spoke very quickly and then turned away abruptly. It was clear that she wanted to get away from him at all costs.
It wasn't because of the duel? Was his very existence uncomfortable for her? Was his mere presence a wound to her after all?
He became depressed to a degree that surprised even himself.
"So it's true that you're uncomfortable."
"……."
At his words, she stopped abruptly. Instead of her clear eyes, he could only see the back of her head, with its rippling pink hair and the delicate line of her body. Were her shoulders trembling like they had in front of the fountain?
If she was this wary of him, it seemed like the best thing for her would be for him never to appear before her again.
But he had already nominated her as a Squire. She was going to stay by his side.
"You will soon be my Squire, so I hope you won't feel uncomfortable around me."
He didn't want to put pressure on her, so he pretended to take out his beloved horse, Silfide, and said it casually. He hadn't even held the appointment ceremony yet, so he could cancel the Squire nomination even now, but the thought didn't occur to him. Or rather, the accurate expression would be that he was unconsciously ignoring that option.
Ekinesia said nothing. She didn't turn around, nor did she leave, but simply stood still.
Yuriene moved as if he had come to take out the horse, not to see her, and led Silfide away. His steps were slow, as if waiting for her answer.
Ekinesia's shoulders heaved greatly. She turned and looked at him.
"Just one thing…… may I ask you something, Commander?"
He was so happy that she hadn't ignored him and left. Could he have a little hope? Yuriene stared at her silently, afraid that his voice would sound excited if he opened his mouth.
Ekinesia hesitated and opened and closed her lips. Her red lips twitched. It was a trivial movement, but he couldn't take his eyes off the movement of her lips.
"You said you saw me at the birthday banquet last year. I've never even spoken to you, Commander, so how did you know me? Did I…… do something rude?"
Yuriene stopped in front of her. Standing so close, his gaze kept tracing her face.
Her white, pretty face as she looked up at him. Her lips moving as she spoke. Yuriene felt shameless for looking at such things and activated True Sight.
Seen through True Sight, she was a burning sun. Her dazzling soul flickered with anxiety. She was anxious because of him. That made him sad.
"That didn't happen. It's just that, you stood out."
"I stood out? Is it because of my hair?"
Would she be relieved if he affirmed that?
He didn't want to lie. But he couldn't tell the truth either. He couldn't say that he had seen the spark within her soul. Besides, that was ultimately the beginning of the tragedy. Yuriene answered evasively.
"……No, it was personal interest."
The movement of her soul changed. The anxious flickering seemed to tilt its head. He deactivated True Sight. Her body, like her soul, was tilting its head slightly.
Perhaps because it was a completely unexpected answer, her large eyes blinked slowly. The tension that had been tightly wound throughout her body loosened due to her confusion, making her more natural.
"Personal interest, what do you mean……."
The way she asked, looking dazed, was somehow too pretty. The sight of her being merely puzzled instead of wary was lovely. Yuriene smiled without realizing it.
As he smiled, she became even more defenseless. Her eyes were fixed on him. She simply looked at him without tension or wariness. He felt incredibly good, and his smile deepened involuntarily.
'If I smile more, would she smile back? I want to see her smiling face. I've never seen it…….'
Yuriene thought that and blankly reached out his hand. It was only after he felt the texture of her smooth hair that he realized what he was doing. He had unconsciously tried to touch her.
'I'm crazy.'
He had to take his hand away, but if he took his hand away like this, he would have nothing to say. What kind of excuse could he make?
While he was hesitating, it was a stroke of luck that he noticed a piece of straw caught in her hair. Yuriene tried to look natural as he grabbed the straw and took his hand away. He spoke vaguely.
"Let's answer that question after the duel."
A wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. Her expression was furrowed as if she thought it was too much. She said in a disgruntled voice.
"……You said I could forget about the duel request if it was a burden."
The way she glanced at him slyly as she said that was strangely cute. He had felt many emotions while looking at her, but this was the first time he had felt that she was cute.
A girlish face. Perhaps that was her original self before she experienced that nightmare.
Feeling like he had discovered a completely new side of her, Yuriene chuckled briefly.
Just a moment ago, his insides had been terribly bitter, but he was so easily happy. Just because she had relaxed and treated him normally.
Perhaps if time passed in this way, she would naturally become more comfortable with him. A hope sprouted that she would.
"I can't force you if you don't want to…… but it means that I desperately want to duel with you that much."
I hope that one day you will be ready to accept everything. I had resigned myself to the fact that it might never come, but I still hope for it. That a truly new life will begin, one in which you no longer have to be bound by the past.
Of course, when that day comes, you may hate me, the one who plunged you into hell.
Guilt that tore at his insides welled up at the end of his laughter. Afraid that it would show on his face, he quickly moved his feet. He led Silfide out of the stable and only then caught his breath.
Yuriene looked back at Silfide. He hadn't planned to take her out, so what should he do? He had work piling up. The horse blinked her innocent eyes and neighed softly. He felt sorry for putting her back in the stable as soon as Ekinesia left. He decided to let Silfide run around a bit and then put her back in the stable.
