The Lady and I (1)

‘It doesn’t seem like anything has really changed…’

The moment I began to ponder that thought, Cryan spoke.

“How did it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go, Yohan?”

He watched with quiet anticipation, clearly invested in how his sincere magic had performed. But how was I supposed to tell him that nothing much seemed different? This was an upgrade he had achieved by burning even his uncle’s belongings.

Yet before my suspicion could fully form, Rorschach interjected. The spirit had always been arrogant, but now an overwhelming aura of power radiated from him in a truly impressive way.

‘Then what exactly changed?’

To be honest, it sounded like wordplay. What difference did that really make? But Rorschach continued to passionately extol how much more magnificent and powerful he had become. He seemed genuinely indignant.

He let out a meaningful chuckle.

Ah. ‘So that means…’

Whoa. So that’s how it worked. This was actually pretty good.

‘That’s right.’

Only then could I truly rejoice. I clapped Cryan on the shoulder.

“It looks like it was a success, Cryan.”

“Really…!”

The moment he received my approval to take off, Cryan let out a deep sigh of relief.

“You had me scared for a second. I worked so hard on this. I thought something had gone wrong.”

“You’re an outstanding mage. If you stayed in the Magic Tower like this, you could easily make a name for yourself.”

“…No. I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

After a brief pause, he answered my comment.

“That will depend on what you do from now on, Yohan.”

Was he saying he was interested in becoming emperor?

…Haha. The guy who used to tremble at the mere mention of Vankite’s name before we went down to the Bruised City had come far enough to say something like this. His guts had improved considerably.

“Those are some ambitious words.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Yohan. When I see you handle everything so effortlessly, it feels like there isn’t a single enemy in this world you couldn’t overcome.”

“I have no desire to hear a male praising me like some heroic epic. It’s embarrassing.”

“Hmm, what does ‘heroic epic’ mean?”

“…It’s a saying from my homeland.”

“It doesn’t sound like something from the North… it feels more foreign.”

…Well, to be honest, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

In Eternal Eclipse, the game that supported multiple routes, there had only been one extremely rare route where Cryan ascended to the throne as emperor. For him to harbor such ambitions was no small matter. The fact that he was thinking this way meant he had already taken the first step toward the coronation ending.

After all, I had approached him with that very intention in mind.

It seemed Cryan’s story had progressed quite far. He looked at me, his usual dull eyes shining in his own way.

“To put it simply, I am placing my absolute trust in your elusive self.”

“…I see.”

“You understand what that means, of course, Yohan.”

He took out his conch shell and showed it to me, as if reminding me of the oath he had sworn upon the name of Karlangk.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t.”

“So if there’s anything you must do, come to me without hesitation. I will sincerely help you with anything, anytime.”

At those words, I simply nodded.

He had already sworn an oath. Even if he kept his mouth shut, he was not the type to speak empty promises. This was likely a reliable guarantee of assistance.

Honestly, just those words alone felt like gaining a hundred armies and a thousand horses. Doing a one-man circus for the lady’s sake was no easy task, after all.

“And please refrain from freezing and thawing your hand like last time.”

With that, the fulfillment of my promise with Cryan came to an end.

But that was only one major hurdle cleared. I had no idea what kind of schemes Vankite might have been plotting while I wasn’t watching. Of course I knew.

***

With a heart full of swelling excitement, I ran toward the lady. I had worked my ass off to retrieve the conch shell, after all. Seeking out my sanctuary was only natural.

Well, I was usually by the lady’s side anyway… but the path to meeting her always lifted my spirits.

‘My lady, my one and only beautiful and lovely lady…’

However, the moment my mood improved and I let my true feelings slip even internally, I stopped in the middle of the corridor.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath and killed the thought.

‘─Don’t spout such dogshit. Always think about the essence, Yohan.’

No matter how many times I told myself, the lady and I were master and servant. The reason I followed her could never be romantic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠affection.

Wasn’t I simply repaying the grace of the person who had saved me when the brutal winter was about to kill me? Hadn’t I done all of this to become her strength as she walked through hell?

And yet here I was, entertaining such insolent thoughts. I was a fool who didn’t know his place. Such a massive idiot…

‘There’s no way the lady would like that.’

I was basically drinking my own kimchi soup. So I decided not to think about it anymore.

The current relationship between the lady and me was enough. I didn’t need anything more. Just like this…

When I returned, it seemed to be free physical training time for the Sigmund students. They were scattered all over the grand staircase that served as their training ground. Some joked and played with friends, while others diligently exercised and trained according to the original purpose.

‘…There she is.’

As expected, the lady was in a corner of the stairs, training alone with her sword.

BOOM—!BOOOOM—!!

Because a mana suppression line had been installed, her restrained frost did not spread outward. Yet within a radius of several dozen meters beyond that line… there wasn’t even a single rat.

It was as if they were deliberately keeping their distance.

From this far away, she stood out alone in the crowded training ground. It was like an Azero disc was floating beside her. Clearly, no one dared approach.

‘Damn central bastards…’

It always broke my heart to see her like that. She was alone again.

So I called out to her from behind.

“…My lady, the Lord of Steel has re—”

But at that moment, a golden-haired figure came running toward her with quick steps.

It wasn’t Vankite just because the hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was golden. The one who had set down her weapon, grabbed some water, and was eagerly approaching Lady Karalin—was Eclipse.

I couldn’t hear clearly from a distance, but Eclipse was chattering away to the lady in her usual manner. The lady, on the other hand, looked somewhat awkward, as if the girl’s energy was a bit much for her.

‘…Ugh.’

Did something happen while I was gone?

“My lady.”

“—Yohan!”

When I called from closer, those blue eyes wrapped around me with brilliant joy. The lady turned and greeted me warmly.

“You’re back safely? Your face looks quite haggard.”

“Ah, well… there were a few things, but everything was resolved smoothly. I handled the relevant ‘matter’ properly as well.”

“No matter what happened, I knew you would handle it well, Lord of Steel.”

She gave me a radiant smile at my words. It was a smile only I in this world could receive. So lovely… No, I really didn’t know where to put myself.

Then the fluffy little Eclipse clinging to her side waved at me too.

“Yohan! H-hello!!”

But I wasn’t exactly thrilled. I let out a sigh.

‘Haa… This can’t be good.’

Getting involved with her would only bring trouble. I had decided to avoid her the last time we met, but since she couldn’t easily meet me, she had resorted to the cowardly tactic of sticking to the lady. It made sense, though.

…I had underestimated her. Of course she had a brain too.

I gave Eclipse a polite nod and asked the lady.

“…What’s going on here?”

“Ah, Yohan. We were tr-training—”

But Eclipse’s small voice was cut off by Lady Karalin’s clear and upright tone. The lady wasn’t the type to do such a thing on purpose, so she probably hadn’t meant to interrupt. Still, it seemed this kind of thing was routine for Eclipse. The girl simply made a crumpled face as if to say it was fine.

Sigh…

“Yes, explaining it properly is a bit complicated…”

She gently supported Eclipse’s back—since the girl was much shorter—and presented her to me.

“Eclipse has been asking me to teach her swordsmanship every time physical training comes around, so I’ve been showing her a few things.”

She slid her sword back into its sheath with a smooth motion. Eclipse, finally finding her chance to speak, opened her mouth.

“I-I worked up a lot of courage… I wasn’t sure if it was okay to talk to you, my lady.”

“I see.”

“B-but I couldn’t help it…? I wanted to ask Yohan first, but he’s always off somewhere…”

The lady gave her usual decadent smile.

“So when she asked me to show her the origins of Northern swordsmanship, I taught her a few moves. Once she stopped hesitating, she learned quite well.”

“I heard that you taught Yohan swordsmanship too, Lady Karalin? Oh, you might already know this, but the two of you are really similar. It’s like… Lady Karalin is just a female version of Yohan…”

The lady seemed strangely pleased by what could have been taken as an insult. She gave Eclipse a warm gaze.

“My attendant and I cannot be compared. To see us as similar… you really are a kind child.”

“…She’s always been that kind of friend.”

“Yohan, shall we go to the stalls for a break together?”

When I nodded, Eclipse quickly shouted.

“Th-then thank you so much for today!! Lady Karalin!!”

It seemed she had taken the hint that it was time to leave. But… the lady was not so cold-hearted. At least not toward someone like Eclipse, who had given her no reason to be hostile.

Which was exactly why I had a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bad feeling about today.

“No. Eclipse, you can come with us. I’ll treat you today.”

“R-really…?”

Oh, damn it.

The lady had no idea about my complicated feelings. Was the world trying to test me?