Surviving the Mansion (2)
"What did you two talk about?"
"We just exchanged greetings."
Selena's eyebrows narrowed into thin lines. It was as if she suspected the two of us had shared some secret rendezvous. But no matter how much she suspected us, we really had only introduced ourselves.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"You didn't receive any kind of... proposal, did you?"
"A proposal?"
I blinked at Selena, genuinely confused about what she meant. Only then did she let out a long sigh.
"Seli?"
"I was just worried you might have heard something strange. If not, then it's fine."
Click. Click.
With those words, Selena gracefully sat down in the chair. She looked calm on the surface, but she crossed her legs as if something was bothering her.
"Pfft."
"Why are you laughing?"
"You look like a sulking puppy."
"W-what did you say?"
Selena's face flushed bright red as she shouted. It was such a rare sight that I made sure to burn it clearly into my memory. Selena really was adorable.
And then, a few days later.
"Oh my, if it isn't Lady Selena and Lord Ruines. What a 'coincidence' running into you again."
"...I'd really like to ask what kind of coincidence this is, you know."
The woman who had once again arrived in a lavish carriage, boldly entering the Ribein family mansion. Angelica covered her mouth with an ornate fan and let out a soft laugh.
"I came in person to deliver a letter containing my mother's wishes, and also to build some friendly relations with the two of you, who represent the future of the Ribein family."
The future of the family, huh... In that case, she must mean only Selena, not me. Sensing some kind of misunderstanding, I tried to quietly slip away.
"I'm sorry, but as I'm merely an outsider, I'll excuse myself—ugh."
I was caught by Selena before I could escape and dragged back. We ended up seated once again in the scenic garden. Angelica watched us with sparkling eyes, as if savoring the sight.
"You two really seem incredibly close. There doesn't appear to be any room for anyone to squeeze in between you."
"Of course. Rui and I have been childhood friends for ten years."
"Oh?"
Angelica tilted her head at those words.
"Just friends? Not fiancés or anything like that?"
"...No, nothing like that."
"And of course, you're not blood relatives either?"
"...No."
Selena's expression grew visibly downcast. Without thinking, I reached out and firmly took her hand.
"Selena is the most precious friend I have. I mean, we're still just friends for now, but..."
"......"
A sharp, prickling glare came from Selena. Hmm. Should I have said she was even more precious? But the way I cherished Selena was equal to—or perhaps even greater than—how I felt about Eila. That meant she was one of the top two most precious people in my life.
At that moment, Angelica, who had been sipping her tea, smiled brightly and spoke.
"Friends, I see. But there are no such things as eternal friends. Especially between a man and a woman."
"??"
Wondering what she meant, I studied Angelica's face carefully. She winked at me, and I was startled. What was with this girl? No, was she actually kind of scary? We'd only just met, yet she was acting like this. Should I call this good sociability? Or maybe...
"This won't do."
Eventually, Selena shot up from her seat. She then picked up one of the wooden swords lying nearby and held it out to Angelica.
"Lady Angelica. Shall we have a little 'conversation' for the first time in a while?"
"W-what are you doing, Seli? Isn't she an honored guest?"
"She is honored. That's why I want to make things perfectly clear."
What would happen if she really made things perfectly clear? I trembled as I glanced at Angelica. But she simply smiled brightly and spread her arms wide in welcome.
"That sounds lovely. A 'conversation.' However, since I'm currently attending the academy, I've changed quite a bit from before. Are you sure that's alright?"
"Of course."
"Hehe."
"......"
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like one of them was going to get seriously hurt. At worst, it might even turn into a feud between families. I couldn't just sit back and watch.
Clench!
What I could do was— I lightly picked up a wooden sword and trudged over between the two of them.
"Can I join in too?"
"Rui?"
"Lord Ruines?"
Their sharp gazes pierced into me. Was this some kind of battle of pride between women? But I also had my own pride as a man who wanted to prevent a pointless fight.
"I'm not saying I'll stop you from the start. But if it looks like things are getting too heated, I'll step in and stop you—even if I have to use force."
"Lord Ruines using force? How intriguing. Hehe."
"I could just beat her up and be done with it."
"Hey. Tsk. Seli. No."
I desperately stopped Selena, who had been whispering under her breath. They already seemed to have some feelings toward each other, so there was no point in adding fuel to the fire.
"Take your positions."
"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
"I'll be the referee."
"Hehe. You really are an interesting person the more I see of you."
Selena let out a small chuckle and moved to her position as well. What both of them held were wooden swords. But depending on how they were used, they could cause serious injuries—or even take a life. I stood between them with my eyes wide open, determined not to allow that.
"......"
"......"
The atmosphere was so tense it was suffocating. I found myself swallowing nervously too. After confirming that both had taken their stances, I spoke in a calm voice.
"Begin."
Whoosh!
As expected, Selena took the initiative. With a body as light as a feather and sharp senses, her exceptional talent as a swordsman led her to instinctively close in on Angelica. Angelica's stance was a stable one, with her sword held high. She was maintaining distance while looking for openings to attack.
In fact, Angelica gracefully retreated while launching probing strikes at the charging Selena.
Swish! Swish! Swish-swish!
Selena stubbornly pressed forward without paying them any mind. She dodged with minimal movement, but her clothes and skin were still lightly grazed. However, her speed was clearly superior. Her sword, lightly imbued with spirit, rushed toward Angelica.
"You're fast, as expected."
Yet Angelica remained unperturbed. As the sword flew straight at her, she instantly rotated her own blade, causing their arms to tangle. In that position, she gently pressed her wooden sword against Selena's neck.
"Ugh."
"If this had been real combat, I would have lost an arm, and you, Lady Selena, would have lost your neck."
Whoosh!
The spar continued. I focused even harder. Each exchange helped me understand what Selena lacked and what Angelica possessed. It was experience. Or perhaps more accurately, the experience of having learned from others.
If Angelica stood on solid, firm ground, Selena seemed to be standing on unstable terrain. Of course, the size of the ground Selena stood on looked incredibly vast.
"Why don't you enroll in the academy now? It would be a waste to let such talent rot."
"...I have a lot to do."
"What a shame."
Angelica seemed to recognize it too, as her tone carried a hint of regret. But no emotions were needed in a duel. Selena refused to be discouraged by that slight gap and rose again, swinging her sword. If a horizontal slash didn't work, she tried a vertical one. If a diagonal didn't land, she reversed it. If the reverse failed, she thrust again.
"This much is nothing!"
"......"
Angelica leisurely parried Selena's attacks. 'For now.' At first glance, it looked like Angelica had the upper hand because Selena's strikes were being relentlessly blocked. But it was Angelica whose breathing was growing increasingly ragged.
"L-Lady Selena? Charging in so recklessly will damage your dignity, you know."
"I'm neither a noble nor a knight yet. So it doesn't matter."
Swooosh!
"Hiek!"
A sword suddenly flew in mid-conversation. Angelica recoiled in shock at Selena's blade, which carried a sharp, deadly aura.
"W-wait, using aura is cheating...!"
"Aura?"
Selena tilted her head in confusion. It seemed she had been using it without even realizing it until now. Wait, so that really was aura? The realm only first-rate knights could reach. I didn't know the details, but I'd heard that with aura, one could split boulders in two and even cleave through an opponent's armor.
Suddenly, I remembered how, in my previous life, soldiers' shields and armor had been torn apart by knights' swords.
"......"
My stomach began to churn. It seemed Angelica, whose face had turned deathly pale, felt the same. I slowly walked between the two, intending to end the spar.
But then—
Vrrrrrm!
"...Seli?"
Selena's eyes had lost focus. It was as if she had gone to another world all by herself. The spirit wrapped around her sword grew even more intense, shining as brightly as a star.
Scraaaape!
Selena dragged her aura-clad sword across the ground as she advanced. With every step, deep gouges were carved into the garden floor. Was that terrifying blade aimed at Angelica right in front of her?
"Hiiik!"
Angelica's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Even so, she refused to let go of her sword until the very end—perhaps out of pride as a noble lady.
Just as Selena approached Angelica and raised her sword to strike—
I pulled Selena into my arms and whispered into her ear.
"Stop. It's over now, Seli."
"...?"
Her eyes, which had looked as if she were possessed by the goddess of the moon, slowly began to return to normal. Those usual beautiful blue eyes. I stared directly at her, calming her down.
"Are you calm now?"
"No."
"You're not?"
"No, I mean... yes. I'm fine."
Even as she said that, Selena's body trembled slightly. It seemed the spar had been too much for her, as her movements were awkward.
Angelica sat there with a dazed, stunned expression as she watched us.
"Are you alright?"
I walked over to the fallen Angelica and offered her my hand.