Chapter 106
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 106
Translation: godsn
"After you unpack your things, I'll show you around the Azure Sky Knights headquarters. During the festival period, many areas are open to the public too."
At Eki's words, not only Lancelid but also the two knights from the Roaz family who had accompanied them as escorts visibly brightened with anticipation. For knights, the Azure Sky Knights headquarters was a place they'd want to visit at least once before they died. Lancelid muttered blankly:
"I still can't believe it. That my sister is an officer cadet of the Azure Sky Knights..."
"To be honest, we're having trouble believing it too. My lady, didn't you never even hold a sword before?"
Hanson, who had been a knight of the Roaz family since Eki was a child, cautiously asked. Both Lancelid and Nick, his personal servant, were looking at her with curious eyes. Eki answered with an unflinching face:
"Remember when Lance was receiving swordsmanship training? I watched carefully from the side. I memorized it and secretly practiced alone."
"There's no way that would be enough to—"
"I tried it and it worked."
"Hah..."
Lancelid, who had been listening quietly, suddenly cut in:
"Sister, but you never showed any interest in knightly things before. Even if we ignore the nonsense about you secretly practicing swordsmanship, what made you suddenly apply for the officer cadet selection exam?"
"'Nonsense'? Watch your mouth with your sister. Didn't you get my letter? I told you. I was actually very interested in swords and knighthood. I just pretended not to be."
"After seeing you my whole life, do you really think I'd believe that? Even our parents don't believe you."
"...They don't?"
"Would you believe it if you were me? They've just resigned themselves to it since you suddenly settled down in Agenka anyway. Be honest, why do you really want to become a knight?"
"Just... it looked cool."
"Ugh, liar. You have some other purpose, don't you?"
[Of course she has a purpose! The purpose of abandoning me! Hey, brat, your sister is a really heartless master, you know? Always telling me to shut up, saying I mustn't be discovered, while wielding this pale excuse for a sword... I'm just a good sword that occasionally feels like killing some humans, that's all!]
Eki let the magic sword's complaints go in one ear and out the other as she closed her mouth. Family was indeed sharp. It was hard to make excuses. As she averted her eyes from Lancelid's suspicious gaze, she spotted the inn they had reserved.
"Ah, we're here. Go up and unpack your things, then come back down. I'll wait for you here."
"Hmm... Fine, whatever. Oh, sister, take this."
Lancelid, who had been studying Eki with narrowed eyes, suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled out a scroll tied with a ribbon.
"What's this?"
"Didn't you hear in my letter? It's a portrait and introduction letter for Count Bernst's second son."
Lancelid said lightly before jumping down from the carriage. The servants and knights carrying luggage headed into the inn. The boy following behind turned back to look at Eki with a sly grin.
"Actually, about that... Mother gave me separate orders, sister."
"...What orders?"
"She said her instincts told her you might have someone you're interested in, so I should observe you carefully. I'm supposed to find out exactly who it is—whether he's just some guy or actual marriage material."
"What?"
Eki, frozen while holding the scroll, looked utterly flabbergasted. Lancelid shrugged his shoulders and teased:
"Seeing your face when you received the portrait, Mother's instincts must have been right. You've been secretly seeing someone, haven't you? So is this gentleman just some guy, or marriage material?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat!"
The boy's smug look was exactly the same as when he was younger. A very familiar feeling. Reflexively, Eki threw the scroll she was holding. As if he'd expected this, Lancelid had already fled into the inn.
Only when she saw the scroll hit the closed door and fall did Eki realize what she'd done. It was exactly like when she used to throw whatever was in her hand at the mischievous young Lancelid. Back in the days when she knew nothing about magic swords or anything else.
The realization that she had truly returned to her twenty-year-old self struck her anew. A second life. The nightmare-like past no longer existed. Staring blankly at the scroll rolling on the floor, she suddenly chuckled and picked it up.
Since returning from the residence to the dormitory that day, she hadn't met Yurien. She needed rest, and he was impossibly busy.
Even when they didn't meet, Yurien kept surfacing in her thoughts—unbidden, at the most unrelated moments. Each time, the words piled up inside her threatened to overflow. The barriers of fear and guilt she'd built within herself kept crumbling because of him.
Because she wanted to believe. Because it felt like she could.
On the terrace, she had promised to give him an answer. So now, this portrait scroll held no meaning for her. She didn't even feel like unrolling it. Echinacea was about to tear it apart as it was, sealed, but hesitated. No matter what, tearing someone else's portrait wasn't proper.
Not long after, Lancelid emerged from the inn and rolled his eyes at her empty hands.
"What happened to the portrait, Sister?"
"Over there. I have no intention of looking at it, so take it back."
Echinacea jerked her chin toward the carriage interior. Spotting the scroll shoved into a corner, Lancelid raised his eyebrows.
"Honestly, Sister... What am I supposed to tell our parents?"
"Tell them I have no plans to marry yet."
"Because of that scoundrel?"
"He's not a scoundrel!"
"Whoa, so there is someone? Who is it? What kind of person?"
At Echinacea's momentary outburst, Lancelid's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he pressed her. Realizing her slip, she hastily averted her gaze.
"There's no such person. Let's go."
She set the carriage in motion before Lancelid could chatter further. Throughout the ride, he kept subtly needling her, but the moment they entered Agenka's Inner Castle, he fell silent. Or rather, his mouth physically opened, but his words stopped.
Agenka was a city older than the beginning of the Divine Era. The history of the Azure Sky Knights, if traced back to the disciples who gathered around the land where the Divine Sword Kairos Giosa was embedded, stretched even further—to the era before the Divine Era. Of course, their current form as "the continent's strongest knight order guarding the Giosa" wasn't quite that ancient, but still older than the Empire's history.
The Inner Castle's scenery, where that long history and present prestige intertwined, was unique. Buildings that looked centuries old and stone paths that seemed millennia-old were jumbled together with pristine white marble structures and well-polished roads of more recent construction.
Knights in sweat-drenched, rough attire and Great Temple priests in immaculate robes that swept the ground mingled freely. In a passing glance at the training grounds, a knight casually wielded Sword Energy.
"Who told you to use mana during a sparring match? Are you incapable of anything without relying on mana?"
"I'll correct myself immediately!"
And the Master who had just used Sword Energy promptly buried his head in shame before the golden-haired knightess. The Roaz knights, who had practically plastered themselves against the carriage windows in shock at the Sword Energy, gaped at the sight of the Master bowing. Lancelid, who had never seen Sword Energy before in his life, was utterly dumbstruck.
The golden-haired knightess hauled the Master to his feet and then proceeded to... well, the only way to describe it was that she beat him with her sword. It was clearly a spar, but "beating with a sword" was the only possible description. Only after the carriage had completely passed the training grounds did the boy turn back to Echinacea.
"N-Sister, that, that, that person just now... surely she wasn't...?"
"Knight Teresa von Franc Almari, a Giosa Owner."
"A r-real Giosa Owner? Wow, heavens, I actually saw a real Giosa Owner..."
Lancelid babbled in a daze, his eyes glazed over. The Roaz knights reacted similarly.
'Come to think of it, this is how ordinary people see Giosa Owners. Like heroes stepped right out of legend.'
Echinacea nodded in belated realization.
"There's an inspection ceremony on the second day of the festival—tomorrow morning. You'll be able to see Giosa in person there."
"I heard about that too! The Azure Sky Knights' inspection! Dozens of Masters and G-G-Giosa! They say you need to book an inn near the plaza two months in advance to get a proper view!"
"Family members of officer cadets can watch from the guests' seating."
"Sister, I love you!"
[If he knew you're my master, he'd faint.]
He might faint for entirely different reasons. Giosa is Giosa, but of all things, it had to be the Demon Sword Valdergiosa. Echinacea smiled bitterly to herself.
The carriage continued through areas open to the public. Their final destination was the Azure Sky Knights' headquarters. Though they couldn't enter, they could see the massive headquarters building, nearly the size of a royal palace. While her younger brother craned his neck to admire the structure, Echinacea found herself looking up at a large circular window high above—the window of the Azure Sky Knights Captain's office.
Yurien had ordered her to return as his squire after the festival ended. She would likely depart almost immediately afterward to rescue Lady Diassant's family.
Since the day of the poisoning, Yurien had forced her to rest, leaving her completely in the dark about how matters were progressing regarding that incident. All she knew was that it had made his already busy schedule even more chaotic.
'Is he in his office now?'
She unconsciously rose onto her tiptoes, hoping to catch even a glimpse of white through the window. Though it was quite high up, her sharp vision could vaguely make out the scene beyond the glass. But the person she sought was nowhere to be seen. Without realizing it, her face fell in disappointment.
"Uh, uh, uhhh!"
Beside her, Lancelid made strange noises before roughly tugging at the voluminous sleeve of her dress.
"S-Sister, th-that person over there...! Huhk, are they coming this way?"
"Stop making a fuss, Lancelid."
Frowning, Echinacea looked in the direction Lancelid was pointing—and her eyes widened. Yurien had emerged from the headquarters building and was walking toward them. Having seen Yurien at the Emperor's birthday banquet, Lancelid recognized him instantly.
"Th-the, the wielder of the Holy Sword...!"
At Lancelid's muttering, the escort knights who realized who Yurien was turned pale enough to faint. Regardless of their reactions, Yurien approached with his gaze fixed precisely on Echinacea.
Their eyes met. Her heart fluttered uncomfortably, so she shifted her gaze to his neck. The neatly buttoned uniform of the Azure Sky Knights completely concealed any bandages, yet the invisible wrappings kept nagging at her attention.
"Echinacea."
"My lord."
Gathering her dress slightly, she performed a small curtsy. Yurien's gaze softened as it moved from her to Lancelid standing beside her.
"Family?"
"My younger brother. Say hello, Lancelid."
"Uh, uh? L-Lancelid Roaz! It's an honor to meet you!"
Yurien had investigated the Roaz family and knew exactly who the boy was, though this was their first meeting. While their hair color and demeanor differed, his eyes were nearly identical to Echinacea's—that clear violet hue. Seeing this resemblance, Yurien found himself instinctively warming to the boy.
"I am Yurien de Harden Kyrie, Captain of the Azure Sky Knights. I've heard much about you from Echinacea. A pleasure."
"Huh? From my sister? How would Sister know the Captain...?"
Lancelid turned to Echinacea with a dazed expression. She whispered:
"I'm the Captain's squire. Didn't you know? I definitely wrote it in my letter."
"Uh, I think Father mentioned it once... That wasn't a joke?"