Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Blooming Girl
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"Chloe. I need to talk to you for a moment."
Chloe followed Eclair, who had returned to the mansion late in the evening, into the study.
Entering Eclair's study, where even the servants weren't allowed, Chloe sat rigidly in her chair without leaning back.
"Relax."
"Y-Yes...!"
Even as Eclair said that, Chloe's stiff posture didn't change.
Pour...
Eclair, one of the Empire's Five Knights, carefully poured the tea with practiced hands.
Exuding an aloof aura even in her own home, she took a seat across from Chloe.
"..."
The silence grew heavy between the two, neither of whom were particularly sociable.
..
..
"...How's the academy?"
After a long pause, Eclair finally spoke.
The question that emerged after much deliberation was the same one she'd asked before.
Startled, Chloe racked her brain for an answer.
"I-It's... very educational and... rewarding... time I'm... having."
"I see."
"Yes..."
It wasn't about friends or complaints about tough classes—nothing personal.
As time passed, it grew harder for Eclair to bring up the matter of marriage proposals.
Would her true feelings come out with such a passive attitude?
Still, she had to say it.
"A marriage proposal came up from the main family recently. The firstborn son of a trading company that handles construction materials. He'll soon become a noble through legitimate title purchase."
As Eclair spoke and stared straight at Chloe, the girl finally seemed to realize whose proposal it was about.
"M-Me?"
"Yes."
"But... I..."
Chloe started to speak but clamped her mouth shut the moment she met Eclair's eyes, lowering her gaze.
Looking at Chloe, who shrank back just from eye contact, Eclair felt not irritation, but a pang of regret.
A loneliness like they were sisters only in blood.
Even if Chloe hated or despised her, it was Eclair's own doing.
She felt utterly lost as to whether they could ever mend their bond.
"It might be overstepping a bit, but I turned it down for now... If you have any thoughts on marriage proposals, let me know."
"...Yes."
"You may go."
Feeling her position and role in the family reaffirmed, Chloe left the study, adhering meticulously to etiquette, her eyes brimming with tears.
Swish—
The moment she was alone, Eclair undid her hair tie and tousled her hair wildly.
From the dysfunctional main family to her awkward relationships with her siblings.
She pitied herself for once believing that mere effort would lead to an ideal future.
The deeper she thought, the more she loathed herself.
"Really... I'm such a worthless person."
Apart from her sword and official duties, she couldn't even find a starting point for anything else.
Taking better care of her sister would stir complaints from all sides, yet leaving her be filled her with mountains of worry.
What if I had no talents at all? Would I spend time shopping with Chloe like normal sisters or chatting about trivial romances?
'...Pointless hypotheticals.'
For Eclair now, just maintaining the status quo was overwhelming.
On a night when she suddenly craved a drink—something she never thought about otherwise—she felt she truly needed a full day of rest.
Rike finally got a deep, restful sleep the night Roman returned.
Was her beloved, more precious than her own life, hurt in any way?
Had some unforeseen accident occurred?
Was he eating properly on his own?
Her shallow, anxious sleep like walking on thin ice had ended.
The quality sleep from satisfied desires and mental peace elevated Rike's condition to the heavens.
A crystal-clear mind without a speck of dust, a body light as a feather.
The perfect timing to break through a stubborn wall.
Rike, who woke up refreshed early in the morning, was now receiving instruction from Roman in the courtyard, trying to pinpoint the ticklish sensation she felt.
"Here we go."
Roman gripped his sword and channeled a massive amount of mana through the pathways etched into his body.
An excessive amount of mana for the purpose moved, and Rike strained her eyes, gleaming with focus, to watch it.
Whoosh—!!
The mana moving through Roman's body visualized, erupting from his sword in blue flames like a holy fire.
"It's a bit tedious, but you have to master the basic pathways properly to create your own."
"Okay..."
"Once more."
..
"Again."
..
"Again."
-
He said if she truly wanted to see it, she would.
Not trusting her own talent or ability.
Just believing her brother's words without a shred of doubt and earnestly trying to see—it finally worked.
The mana circulating through the body toward the weapon.
'...I can really see it!'
Seeing what she'd never seen before, mana rushed out in one breath, dizzyingly fast, but for that fleeting instant.
Rike saw it clearly.
Only then did she fully grasp how incredible this eye of hers was.
"Somehow, I feel like right now... I'll give it a try."
Rike drew Vanitas, closed her eyes, and focused once more.
The mana movement he'd just shown was vivid in her mind.
Imagining how the intangible energy called mana should flow felt like sunlight flooding a dark alley.
'He said this method is absolutely impossible without my eyes...'
Surely... her brother had gone through countless trials and errors before mastering his aura.
He was eliminating all those errors, showing her the one true path among countless forks.
Seeing him offer her everything—his heart, guts, and all—made her chest swell to the point of madness.
'Is there no way for me to prove my feelings like that...?'
The deliberation didn't last long.
The only way she could repay him now was to accept his teachings and prove her growth.
"Hoo—"
Flick. Flick. Flick—!
Blue lights began blinking on Vanitas in Rike's hand.
Roman held his breath, silently watching her without a word.
The sensation of handling aura becomes much easier after the first time.
Visualizing the mana residing in the body—that single step is the hard part.
'If I slack off, she'll catch up in no time.'
Though he'd fed her remnants of Groto's familiar and various elixirs big and small, Rike sensing and attempting aura already was an absurd talent.
Until learning the Breathing Technique, she'd used a half-baked cultivation method, so her time properly handling mana was very short.
But.
Rike had special eyes that could see not just turbulent emotions, but mana flows.
It was like having a map and compass in a barren wasteland where others relied on instinct to find the goal.
Plus her heroine's innate talent—the synergy was tremendous.
Tick- Pop! Pop! Pop!
The interval between blue lights shortened.
Sweat beaded on Rike's forehead.
I clenched my fists and held my breath too.
'Just a bit more... really, just a little!'
Whoosh—! Whoosh! Ziiing—!
The moment she took a great step toward her grand goal—awakening.
Blue mana coated Vanitas's dark blade like frosting.
A very clean aura, matching her calm demeanor.
-
How many first-year academy cadets could use aura right now?
Robert? His [Light] might be more versatile and powerful than ordinary aura, but I'm not sure if he can even use aura.
Talented children from martial families awaken aura in their early to mid-twenties on average, assuming they've followed an elite path relentlessly since childhood.
There are cases of early awakening from life-threatening survival struggles, but those are one-in-a-million.
Rike wasn't that, nor had she followed a formal path, but in terms of training time, she wasn't inferior to the continent's renowned geniuses.
"...Is this really okay?"
"Yeah!"
Celebrating Rike's explosive growth and ready to grant any wish, what she wanted was to go to the bakery with me before heading to the academy.
Seems like Rike had developed her own new routine while I was away.
'If there's no work, I guess I'll go with her every day.'
She said this was enough, so I was the one feeling a bit disappointed as I followed along.
Her appetite had improved compared to before, when she barely ate anything ridiculous, and it was a relief to see.
"Almost there!"
Led by Rike, who grabbed my hand and took the lead, we arrived.
We were using the commercial district near the Adventurer's Guild now, but I remembered this area too.
'Back when I tried cooking meals at home, I came around here often...'
I had a good idea which bakery Rike meant.
"Ooh! Smells so good."
"Right?"
The closer we got to the bakery, the warmer and more inviting the scent became.
'Worth all the hell I went through to survive...'
This peaceful moment felt utterly special.
Some might say hunting a swamp whale, taking down a black mage, or sweeping mercenaries was special.
I'd forget those moments quickly.
But the dawn when I hold Rike's hand and buy bread? I'll never forget that.