Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Mother's Hidden Path
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As Enoch's body was pushed back, two lines of scratches formed on the dirt ground.
"Stably blocking an attack that's too much to handle is a talent in itself."
Evelyn evaluated Enoch with a somewhat arrogant attitude. Enoch humbly accepted her words.
"Not bad. No particularly glaring bad habits either. Whoever taught you did a good job."
At Evelyn's judgment, Enoch bowed his head, his face flushing red.
"That's it for today's sparring."
Still young, he couldn't hide his disappointed expression at the announcement that sparring was over. Seeing this, Evelyn said,
"We have tomorrow, don't we?"
At her words, he nodded as if entranced.
"Yes! Yes!"
Evelyn approached Rachel and picked up the canteen. She took a sip of water and tossed the canteen to Enoch. Enoch caught the canteen flying toward him in a perfect arc.
Leaving Enoch behind, Evelyn plopped down in front of Rachel.
It was the first time Rachel had seen Evelyn sit so casually.
"Why? Surprised?"
"Yes."
The Evelyn that Rachel had seen until now always emphasized etiquette. She occasionally showed girlish sides, but she had always acted with elegance and formality. She had nagged Rachel and Deyner plenty about such things.
"Lately, it feels like I'm seeing a new side of Mother."
Evelyn grabbed Rachel's ankle. With her calloused hand, she stroked Rachel's calf.
"Ugh, that hurts."
"You say it's a new side, but it might not be new at all."
Even as Rachel complained of pain, Evelyn continued to rub and knead her daughter's calf up and down.
"What do you mean?"
"It means this is how I originally was."
At first it hurt, but gradually the spots her hands touched began to feel cool and soothing. As Rachel started adapting to the pain, Evelyn grabbed the other ankle.
"Then why did you change?"
"Because I wanted to be ordinary."
"Ow, Mother! Gently!"
Rachel let out a groan at the pain in her other calf. Ignoring it, Evelyn calmly continued her story.
"It was fine if I was just a crude woman who knew nothing of manners by myself."
Born as the daughter of a baron's family but raised in a temple from childhood due to family circumstances, Evelyn was sorely lacking in noble society.
She knew more about swords than anyone. With a sword in hand, she feared no one.
But noble society wasn't so simple. In high society, swords weren't wielded but spoken of.
A country girl who came to the capital without manners or common sense—that was the evaluation of Evelyn. Some praised her innocence as a virtue, but in noble society, innocence became poison and sin.
Still, Evelyn didn't care. No matter what others said, she had her pride.
She was a descendant of Heros, one of the seven heroes who had slain the Demon King in the past.
"Thanks to our founder's unfulfilled wish, the women of our family awaken special abilities. Mine was exceptional swordsmanship."
"Huh?"
Listening to Evelyn's story, Rachel unwittingly let out a dumb sound.
"Special abilities?"
"Yes. Not everyone awakens them, though. They emerge as the ability needed to overcome hardships when they come."
Only then did Rachel realize why Evelyn had so naturally accepted her own ability. For her mother, ability awakening was natural.
"With that ability, I rose to the temple's honorable position of White Knight. I even made trusted friends."
She had everything she wanted. The gazes of nobles meant nothing to her...
"But then I fell in love."
Her partner was the third son of a baron's family, not even in line to inherit a title. But title or status didn't matter.
She liked his calm and intellectual demeanor, and that fragility that stirred her protective instincts.
"So I threw away everything I had and claimed your father."
She thought there would be no issues up to that point. But her husband had to meet nobles for his work. Her behavior was affecting her husband's career.
"Because I loved your father, I wanted to be an ordinary wife."
So she hid her true self and tried to become an ordinary woman fitting for noble society.
Only then did Rachel understand why Evelyn had to change.
'Mother went to such lengths, yet Father suspected her like that.'
Resentment toward Henri built up in Rachel's heart.
At that moment, Evelyn's hands stopped. Rachel met her eyes.
"But now, there's no need for that anymore."
Evelyn released Rachel's leg and stood up. Rachel looked up and asked,
"Why?"
At her daughter's question, she smiled faintly.
"What I wanted to protect was our daily life. I can't just sit by when an enemy is targeting my daughter, can I?"
She had pretended to be an ordinary wife to protect that daily life. Now that the Black Sorcerer enemy was trying to destroy it, she picked up the sword again. It was a simple principle.
"And now your father has established himself enough, hasn't he? It won't be a problem if I'm honest."
Eyes the same color as Rachel's curved beautifully like a crescent moon. Rachel had watched Evelyn for over six years through her regressions, but she'd never seen her shine like this.
"Right?"
"Yes."
"Then shall we head back? I'm really looking forward to breakfast this morning."
It was surely the same menu as always, yet she was excited.
Rachel followed Evelyn down from the clearing. Only then did she notice the path.
A dirt path steadily climbed and packed down by someone. It wasn't formed by cutting grass once or twice. It was made by someone passing every day.
'Mother walked this path every day.'
She might have skipped on rainy days or when guests visited. But even as she said she wanted to be an ordinary wife, she had climbed this hill and secretly swung her sword in the clearing.
'Even if she might never show it in front of others forever, she never gave up the sword.'
Evelyn had told her and Enoch to find the path during their sparring, but now Rachel found the path in Evelyn's back as she walked.
'Yes, no matter how many regressions bring me back to this time, I'll learn the sword.'
A desire welled up to walk this path silently alone, to swing the sword at Evelyn's side.
***
"Ugh, I'm dying."
Rachel faced an unexpected problem. It was muscle soreness.
Had half a day passed since finishing her physical training? Her whole body throbbed as if she'd been beaten.
She thought she'd grown accustomed to pain from dying in various ways, but muscle soreness was a different kind of torment.
"I'm, dying."
Of course, she'd never heard of anyone dying from muscle soreness. But even the slightest movement brought excruciating pain.
Just then, the door opened. A maid carrying a bunch of things entered her room with Enoch.
"Enoch, what brings you here?"
"I had a feeling this might happen."
"What?"
"People who don't move much suddenly overexert themselves and end up suffering. Evelyn doesn't seem the delicate type for this sort of thing."
Enoch's prediction was spot on. The workout amount was small, but it had seemed a bit much for Rachel—and sure enough, after a little movement, she was complaining of soreness.
Even now, she couldn't sit up despite his arrival.
"So you're going to heal me with Divine Power?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"If I heal you with Divine Power, all of Rachel's hard work today will be for nothing."
Rachel's current physical training was to build muscle. Muscle soreness came from torn muscle fibers, and with proper rest and nutrition, they regenerated stronger.
But healing with Divine Power would just revert the muscles to their original state without growth.
"Then how are you going to help?"
"With a compress. I made some myself using herbs from the estate."
Enoch set down a large basin on the floor. It contained light green water with steam rising gently.
"Miss, allow me to help you undress for a moment."
"I'll turn around."
As the maid suddenly offered to help her undress, Rachel panicked, but Enoch turned away first.
Rachel felt relieved looking at his silver-haired nape.
The maid helped Rachel up, removed her clothes, and dressed her in the brought garments. But they were extremely thin.
"Aren't these too thin?"
Rachel muttered. The reply came not from the maid, but from Enoch.
"They're the clothes I requested for the compress. Normally, you'd go without any..."
Enoch said without turning. It meant she should ideally be bare, but since that wasn't feasible, they opted for the thinnest possible clothes.
Thinking of it like a doctor examining a wound at a hospital made Rachel feel unembarrassed.
"All dressed now."
"Then, Rachel, please lie face down."
Enoch was still facing away. Rachel slowly turned over.
"Ugh. Done."
"Then I'll turn around."
Rachel looked at Enoch while lying prone. He dipped a white cloth into the medicinal water in the basin, then wrung it out moderately.
Once water dripped steadily and it held just the right moisture, he placed the cloth on her back.
A bitter herbal scent wafted up. The moist cloth was warm, making her back heat up comfortably. Then Enoch's hand came over it. As he began applying moderate pressure, Rachel marveled at the perfect massage.
"Is this okay? I started light."
"This feels just right."
"Rachel really is delicate."
As he pressed her back, Enoch voiced what he'd been thinking.
"I just couldn't look away, worried you'd get hurt if left alone."
"Suddenly?"
"Not suddenly. I've thought that all along."
"I'm not that delicate!"
"But even after those loosening stretches, you're hurting this much."
"Guess even those stretches were too much for me."
"Kids at the temple do them easily."
The maid burst into laughter at Enoch's words.
She'd suddenly become more fragile than a child. Then Enoch continued.
"I'm not teasing you for being delicate. What's important when doing something is knowing your starting point."
"Starting point?"
"Yes. Following others without considering your own situation can be harmful. So it's crucial to assess your condition and set goals accordingly."
The cloth lifted from her back. Cold air brushed over her clothes, making Rachel shiver for a moment.
But after a few splashes of water, her back warmed again.
"Why does Rachel want to learn the sword?"
"To protect my own body."
"There must be a lot of dangers in the future you see."
"Yes. I try all sorts of methods to resolve them, but problems keep arising."
Enoch's touch felt truly wonderful. Receiving his massage, Rachel wanted to pour out all her worries.
Then his hands stopped. Feeling the sudden pause, Rachel lifted her upper body slightly and turned her head toward him.
Enoch, head bowed, mumbled at his lips before finally asking one question.
"In that future, was I not there?"