Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Back Alley Meeting -1-
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"This is rare~ The one who never rests no matter how much I tell her to take a break."
She spoke to Eclair, who was flipping through the submitted documents, as if it were amusing.
"Hmm... It just sort of ended up that way."
"Hehe~ What's this? Did you get a boyfriend or something?"
"I'm just using up my accumulated vacation days. If you're here for chit-chat outside of work, I won't respond anymore."
Eclair glared with her red eyes gleaming, but the woman simply sighed in response.
"You're really no fun. I carved out time from my busy schedule to drop by."
"If you're busy, don't carve out time—do your job."
"...I don't wanna! I'll go have fun somewhere else instead of hanging out with boring people~"
Eclair confirmed the woman leaving noisily and paused with her documents and pen.
She had taken this vacation day thinking vaguely that doing nothing might clear her head a bit.
She had no plans, and no idea what to do with her time off.
Maybe swing a sword around or read some books in the study.
-
Since I hadn't said anything, Chloe wouldn't know I was taking the day off.
I watched her leave the mansion after breakfast, then headed to the study.
She looked puzzled that I wasn't leaving first, but she'd probably just let it go.
"..."
I pulled out one of the books I'd stashed in the study to read someday when I had time and started flipping through it.
Shuffle—shuffle—
"...This is driving me crazy."
As soon as I turned the page, the one I'd just read blurred in my mind.
This had never happened despite reading countless books up to now.
If I swung a sword in this unfocused state, I'd be lucky not to get hurt.
'Something that doesn't require focus... like a walk.'
I couldn't even remember the last time I'd wandered the streets aimlessly.
Eclair left the mansion in civilian clothes for the first time in ages.
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On the capital's streets, there were happy-looking families, passersby who seemed to carry complicated stories.
Shop owners forcing smiles at customers while doing business, people who looked like they might drop dead any second.
...I had no idea what kind of face I made as I passed through them all.
Clack—
Walk.
Clack—
Keep walking.
Once I was out, I realized I had nowhere to go.
That 'boring person' comment from yesterday was spot-on, impossible to deny.
Mindlessly moving my feet led me to an alley on the outskirts.
As I paused in the shade, debating whether to head back to the mansion—
'That man...?'
An untamed beast-like aura, a perfected physique rare even among renowned knights.
It was the platinum adventurer I'd crossed paths with multiple times over imperial matters.
Among platinum ranks, he was the only one this easy to run into.
"Hm?"
Even though he clearly sensed me, he was trying to slip away without engaging.
Pure curiosity about that behavior—and maybe a chance to naturally hear about Chloe—made Eclair's mouth move on its own.
"You're right there, not like you didn't see me... Even off-duty, no greeting? Isn't that a bit stingy?"
His steps halted, and his gaze turned this way.
It was a lukewarm look, neither friendly nor hostile.
"...You didn't come with another request, did you?"
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm off today."
"Oh, right. So why are you out here on your precious day off?"
"..."
I was at a loss for words.
Eclair immediately regretted stopping Roman as he passed by.
Lately, her frustrations had been building, leading her to act before thinking more often than she'd like.
'Was that too impulsive?'
This was the first time Eclair had met Roman outside of work.
As always, he was a man whose thoughts she couldn't even guess at.
Unpredictable even in official dealings—what would he be like casually? She couldn't imagine.
She'd heard it from imperial figures and a few high nobles at the banquet when she became the youngest of the Five Knights.
They said the empire's fortune was like the scales of fate.
Whenever she achieved something as the youngest, there he was on the opposite side—the youngest to reach platinum adventurer.
A sense of kinship she probably held alone.
The hope that he might share similar struggles and understand kept her from backing down.
"Some secret mission you can't talk about? Then good luck!"
As he unexpectedly wrapped up the conversation and tried to leave alone, Eclair blocked his path with her sheathed sword.
"Right, work... Join me for a bit of work..."
Work, my ass.
Knowing her personality, I let myself get fooled once anyway.
We set two wooden crates from the alley down and sat facing each other.
Even in the shadowed space, her red eyes stood out vividly.
"You tell me to join you, then clam up like that—what am I supposed to do?"
Eclair, who had been sitting cross-legged in silence, furrowed her brow at my words.
"I'm... sorting out my thoughts a bit."
"Knight? I'd appreciate it if you considered I have my own things to do."
I didn't dislike her type, even saying that.
Stubborn, inflexible, able to dig one path relentlessly—that was an ideal warrior archetype.
But when tangled in unpredictable relationships like family, she lost her bearings completely.
The moment we'd started talking here, the Dreitna sisters' story had veered into unpredictable territory.
But her core dilemma probably hadn't changed.
"Mind if I ask something a bit out of left field?"
"I'll hear it and decide."
I leaned back against the cool wall and waited for her words.
"...I'm a knight, so I don't know adventurers in detail, but I do know 'platinum' isn't something you reach on talent alone."
"...?"
Grateful for the recognition from a knight, but definitely out of nowhere.
I kept my ears open for the rest.
"No one reaches a goal everyone dreams of without trials, whether adventurer, knight, or any other path..."
"True."
She hesitated, lips twitching, reluctant to get to the point.
...The Dreitnas were people I had some interest in, so I was willing to listen.
I slipped a hand into my pocket, connected to my inventory, and pulled out a scroll.
"If it's too hard to say outright, I can do a non-disclosure contract. Memory wipe's trickier, though."
Eclair's eyes widened more than when I'd punched a knight, then she chuckled lightly and shook her head.
"No... If it's about trust from the imperial side, it'd be you over me. Just pretend we signed one."
"...Alright? No worries about leaks. Believe what you want."
A faint smile crossed her face as she uncrossed her arms and brushed her bangs back neatly.
"Haa... Maybe I'm at my limit... Today really feels like anything goes."
"..."
"Then, trusting you as the platinum adventurer Roman, I'll ask what I'm most curious about... If this gets out, I'll seriously come hunting you with my prized sword."
"You say you trust me, then threaten... Don't expect answers to everything."
Even after steeling herself, it took Eclair a while to speak.
Her face faintly flushed, she finally tossed out the question.
"...Is Chloe doing well?"
After all that deliberation, out came not her own worry, but concern for her sister.
I smirked, and she averted her eyes, dipping her head slightly.
"Why ask me? Just ask her yourself."
"...Silly question. I can't, so I'm asking you."
She no longer bothered hiding her interest in Chloe in front of me.
"Doing well—grades? Or friendships?"
"Just... her overall life at the academy."
As if I, who visited the academy once a week for Chloe, would know!
But even from practical classes alone, I could tell she hadn't fully integrated into the Knight Department.
Watching that, I'd realized some things were doomed to stick to the script unless I intervened.
The expectations from being the Five Knights' sister.
But the gap between Chloe's actual personality and her sister's left the cadets bewildered.
In the end, she drifted on the edges, not fully fitting in or rejected.
Having Eclair Dreitna as backing kept her from total ostracism.
"In class, her voice is quiet and timid, but she's got some grit. Unlike her shy nature, she's bold with the sword, striking unexpectedly at times. In conclusion... the instructor rates her as doing well."
"...I see. Chloe's smart, unlike me—she'd use various methods."
Eclair nodded, lips curving in satisfaction at my words.
She'd be even happier knowing whose unorthodox moves she copied, but saying that would make me sound like a stalker.
Regaining her composure, she returned to her stoic expression.
"...In the end, we've gone completely off the original topic."
"Not what you meant to bring up first, right?"
Her worry seemed easier to voice than her sister's well-being; she fiddled with her sword hilt and nodded.
"The reason I'm telling you this... is the hope you might relate."
I wondered if that wasn't even more embarrassing, but she saw it differently.
For a fleeting moment, fatigue shadowed her face as she sighed lightly and spoke to me.
"You might think it's arrogant or conceited, but I've always believed no goal is impossible with effort. Any failure was due to my lack of it... No matter what anyone said, clinging stubbornly to that belief got me this far without stopping."
"Having your own ego is a strength, I'd say."
Her breathing mixed with various emotions at my words.
"I've been feeling it more as time passes. Lately, intensely... Even when I set my mind to something, pursuing it pulls me further from my original intent... I've reached the point where I doubt if pure effort can get me the results I want."
Her lifelong driving conviction was starting to waver.
For the first time, Eclair's eyes shook with unease as she spoke.