Room to Breathe (1)

The fierce sparring match had come to an end in a single instant.

And as if that weren't enough, Pollux—who had suddenly requested a conversation—revealed one truth to Harnie.

Karsein was falling apart.

Why he had summoned only her.

And beyond that, exactly how Karsein was breaking down.

Pollux seemed to have gleaned the gist of it from the duel itself.

She understood. Harnie had felt it too—that Karsein was fraying at the edges.

The way he cut his sleeping hours down to the bone, threw himself neck-deep into work, and refused to let go of it even for a moment—it left her with a persistent, gnawing unease.

So Harnie poured everything out to him.

Part of her wondered whether some kind of action needed to be taken, here and now.

And Pollux told her this:

That there was exactly one way to set a breaking Karsein right again.

But.

'What on earth is that supposed to mean...?'

She couldn't quite shake the thought.

It wasn't that she distrusted Pollux.

Aside from Karsein, Pollux was her trading partner as well—an ally.

Even setting that aside, he was her senior in life, and he had offered her advice now and then, on all manner of subjects.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She'd gained a great deal from it, in fact, so there was no room for doubt.

But this time, she simply ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't make heads or tails of it.

'...What in the world is he talking about?'

Just in case, she asked him once more, and he affirmed it, repeating the same words.

So long as she stayed at his side, Karsein wouldn't fall apart any further...

As Harnie turned the meaning of that over in her mind, her face went up in flames. And not long after, she shook her head vigorously, shaking off the thought she'd just had.

"H-he just means to stay beside him like normal! That has to be it!"

Yes. That must be what he meant.

Nothing deep about it at all—just watch over him from close by, see if he's overextending himself, and rein him in as needed. That had to be it.

"Right, right. That's it. Pollux did say he only noticed Karsein was overworking himself because of his body..."

No need to think too hard about it.

Whether he's eating properly, whether he's sleeping soundly instead of catnapping, whether he's pulling all-nighters buried in work. That's what she'd need to keep an eye on—to keep his body from wearing itself down. That was all he meant.

Then again, worry did pile mountain-high where that man was concerned.

He'd never actually admit he was ailing, and he'd inevitably wave off any real wound as a scratch. That much was certain.

Hadn't it happened just yesterday, after all?

The day his body had gone so frighteningly cold from those side effects.

If she hadn't stripped off her clothes right then and there to press her own warmth into him, something terrible would have...

"Gah—! N-no! That's not what this is about!"

R-right! Just watch over him carefully so he doesn't get hurt! That's all!

Harnie, who had spiraled off into wild thoughts, sucked in a great gulp of air and shook her head hard again, back and forth.

The inexplicable heat rising within her, she managed to fan away with her hand—somehow, one flap at a time.

But then, how could a memory that vivid ever fade so easily?

"Ugh, uuuugh...! Forget it. Forget it alreaaady...!!"

She had a long, long walk ahead of her.

Long enough to walk that mortifying memory clean out of her head.

-Chime!

'...So it cleared after all.'

Because the duel with Pollux had ended in such an abrupt and radical fashion, I'd half expected a variable to rear its head, but apparently the clear had been recognized regardless.

Still—channeling mana into my bare hands to forcibly halt a duel...

It was an odd, unclassifiable thing.

Karsein's stats fell considerably short of Pollux's, which made outright victory impossible.

So in the game, once you demonstrated skill sufficient to satisfy the clear conditions, the episode would end with a few well-placed lines of dialogue. Never like this—cut off so one-sidedly, so suddenly.

'Well, no matter.'

For now, I'd focus on the fact that I'd gotten past the episode.

Even looking at nothing but the results window, the notice confirming that Rusmayer's funds were secured floated plainly before my eyes. That settled the matter.

But there was one thing left.

Work that had to be done in advance.

'I won't be heading straight back to the ducal estate, so I absolutely have to prepare the paperwork.'

From here, I would return to Rusmayer, see the tunnel project through to its finish, and then stay behind to avoid the family at the ducal estate.

As that dragged on, the Eastern Noble Conference would draw near, and the family would summon Karsein to them—and that was when the first critical juncture would arrive.

The Shatren Territory, at my own request, was currently receiving no support funds from Claire.

Which meant the territory's people were struggling to get by right now—while I, all this time, had my hands stretched not only over Rusmayer but over the Marquisate of Aepheros as well.

A situation tailor-made for me to be caught red-handed.

By Arina, first of all.

'She'll berate me—asking why Karsein is stirring up all this business when he can't even manage what he has. And then the question will come: why on earth did I cancel Claire's support if this is how it was going to be?'

Depending on affinity levels and the choices made, it varied—but with so many problems surfacing all at once, a stiflingly tight spot would unfold.

Fumble even slightly here, and I'd hit a bad ending without ever attending the Eastern Noble Conference at all.

And I was currently on my way to complete one sub-episode precisely to prevent that.

"Hm? Karsein, what brings you here?"

Once again, Pollux had picked up on my presence with ease, turning to look back at me.

"If you've come to discuss the trade, we're still sorting out who to bring along. I'd ask you to wait a little longer."

"That's not what I need. I want something else."

"Hm?"

To Pollux, who raised a questioning brow, I handed over a single sheet of paper.

"This is... a trade ledger between noble houses, is it?"

"It is. I'd like you to fill it out and send it to the ducal estate."

There were three key points to dodging the dead flag Arina would plant.

One of them was, precisely, the manner of trade between noble houses.

I was trading with Marquis Eipperos himself, and this deal had to be carried through cleanly and without a hitch.

The first step toward that was this trade ledger.

"But... weren't you planning to stay in Rusmayer for the time being?"

"Did Harnie tell you that?"

"She did. I heard it from the head of the Flessia Merchant Guild—that you wouldn't be staying at the ducal estate, since you had no wish to see your family, and would remain in Rusmayer instead. And yet..."

"If I fill this out and send it to the ducal estate, they'll catch wind of where Karsein is, and at the same time realize this trade has taken place. That's what you wanted to say, isn't it?"

"...It is."

Pollux nodded.

I knew it too.

I knew full well that this ledger amounted to a proclamation—here I am—addressed to Arina.

But when this ledger reached the ducal estate, the one who would come to meet me in Rusmayer wouldn't be Arina. It would be Claire.

"Don't worry. I have my own plan."

"Hm... very well. I'll do as you ask."

-Chime!

Pollux filled out the trade ledger without a word of complaint.

He fired off questions at the aide standing right beside him, and even made suggestions to me—a line here, a clause there—that might be worth revising.

It didn't matter.

After all, making no attempt to hide where I was was the second condition for dodging Arina's dead flag.

"Hmm... While you're staying in Rusmayer, how about lending a hand with the territory's people and their training, as a side matter?"

"I included that clause because I didn't want to be suspected. If it's a burden, you're free to leave it out."

"No, it's no burden. It's only... receiving payment for it sits oddly with me, that's all."

Stroking his chin, he came back with an adjusted proposal.

"Let's make this clause payment-free, then. In exchange, we extend the schedule for our sparring sessions."

"With me?"

"Aye. Your swordsmanship is rather unusual. It relies not on instinct or gut feeling but on rigorous calculation, which gives it a surprisingly high degree of practical worth."

He pressed the point further, adding that the Yarik people would likely take an interest as well.

...Fine by me.

Every sparring session raised my stats.

And as it doubled as live combat training, my skill would grow alongside them. I had no reason to hesitate.

Once the adjustments were finished, Pollux rolled the document up and bound it with cord.

"That settles it. It won't take long to reach the ducal estate."

"My thanks. I'll send word ahead to the people of the territory myself."

"Thanking me is a courtesy for those of us waiting on building aggregate. But... Karsein."

Pollux hesitated in a way quite unlike himself.

"There's something else I'd like to talk about. A moment of your time?"

The man who wanted to discuss "something else" led the way to another spot, and I followed, half assuming this too would be a scene the system would skip over.

He let out a soft sigh, wet his throat with a mouthful of water, and asked:

"Do you know that before the Eastern Noble Conference convenes, the noble houses each observe a rest period?"

"A rest period?"

"Ah... so you don't know. Let me put it simply. Since the conference doubles as an examination by the Imperial Crown, the nobles are given time to bring their bodies and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠minds to their peak."

It began with plain rest and extended to sleep, stress relief—whatever each noble's preferred method was—the span of time devoted to tuning themselves to their finest condition.

That, he said, was the rest period of the Eastern Noble Conference.

'...So that's what it meant.'

I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wondered what he was getting at when he first said "rest period," but the word did ring a faint bell.

The Vagrand Ducal Estate had already decided to replace the portrait in the main hall with one of me. Which meant Pollux's question was pointing straight at the very next episode.

Merely thinking about it made my head throb in advance, but...

One more piece of intelligence gained, then.

A rest period once before the conference—and another one scheduled even after it concluded.

Because I'd caught the schedule early, I could now prepare for what was coming.

"It's already been arranged. A family outing, from the look of it."

"I see."

When I mentioned the planned schedule, Pollux sighed softly.

And then came a blow of considerable weight.

"In the duel, you measured distance as if with a ruler. You gauged the friction of my blade through its very edge, read my reach and my stride, and met me on those terms. And yet one thing rang through that sword of yours—hesitation."

"..."

"Take it as advice from an old warrior. Give yourself some time of ease, whatever form it takes. If you don't..."

Those last words of his

hung in the air, heavy with meaning.