Chapter 16
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 16
Translation: godsn
They were now close enough that reaching out would bridge the distance between them. Her veins felt ready to burst. He grasped her stiffened wrist.
"Hng."
It wasn't a rough or violent movement. If anything, it was slow and deliberate. Yet the shock was so great that a strange sound escaped her as she barely suppressed a scream. She nearly struck back in reflexive defense.
Yurien enveloped her hand in his and examined it. Of course it had to be her right hand. Beneath the silk glove she wore lay the sigil of the Magic Sword. The color drained from Eki's face. Fortunately, he made no move to remove the glove—such rudeness would be unlike him. The mere act of suddenly seizing her hand was already extraordinarily out of character for him.
Yurien traced the contours of her hand with his gaze before lightly brushing his thumb across her palm. The texture held no trace of calluses. Her hand was small and smooth.
In contrast to his delicate features, Yurien's hands were large and rough. A knight's hands. Eki flinched, her shoulders trembling. Though it was just trivial contact over gloves, goosebumps rose across her skin—and not solely because the Magic Sword's mark lay concealed beneath.
For a long moment, he simply looked down at her hand. His lowered silver lashes were strikingly long. Then he murmured:
"Yours are not the hands of one who delights in the sword."
Unable to bear it any longer, Eki twisted her wrist free. Yurien didn't restrain her. His blue eyes remained fixed upon her.
"Let me ask again. Why do you wish to become a knight?"
She pressed her lips together. Why did she want to become a knight? What could she possibly say? Though she'd prepared responses for numerous scenarios during her journey with Agenka, this situation had never crossed her mind. If discovered, he would hate her. If undiscovered, he'd show no interest. If he remembered nothing, their paths would never cross again. That's all she'd considered. She'd never imagined Yurien might remember her from the birthday banquet, let alone question her motives.
Eki stared up at him with utterly bewildered eyes. Yurien waited, watching her. Those quietly observing eyes felt familiar. Her chaotic thoughts stilled like the calm of his gaze. From the erased past, she recalled those same eyes waiting beyond iron gates for her victory. She found herself unwilling to build lies upon lies before him. Slowly, she spoke:
"I want to be happy."
"......"
"It must sound strange... but I mean it."
She expected him to press further—to demand how knighthood connected to happiness, what her story entailed. But Yurien asked nothing. He simply never looked away as he replied:
"I see. Very well."
She feared to ask whether he truly understood. The topic itself weighed heavily on her. Eki grasped for another subject to change course:
"What brings you here?"
"The same question applies to you—what brings you here on your first day?"
To check if the perfectly intact fountain remained. To see with her own eyes whether all traces of her having killed him had truly vanished. She could never say that. Instead, she offered a flimsy excuse:
"I was just taking a walk and ended up here."
At her words, Yurien smiled faintly. So he could smile after all. She'd never known. Every expression she'd seen from him before had been either blank, pitying, serene... or, in that final moment, something utterly beyond description.
Eki stared blankly at his smile. His smiling face was even more beautiful. Contrary to his stiff manner of speech, his reply came in a gentle tone.
"I came for the same reason as you."
"You came out for a walk?"
"...Yes."
It was all too coincidental. Of all places, he chose to take a stroll here—to the very spot where she had died in her previous life, on the very night he had appointed the woman who killed him as his squire. Was it truly just a walk? Could he really have no memories? Doubts sprouted, but there was no way to confirm them. Probing carelessly would be far too dangerous.
Eki quietly looked up at him before speaking.
"I heard... you appointed me as your squire."
Squire. A follower of knights. A knight's companion. One who assists the knight by their side, guarding them even on the frontlines of battle. A direct disciple who inherits the knight's experience and techniques.
After the probationary period, once officially recognized as a squire, she would accompany him on all his missions. She would oversee his rest and watch his back. It wasn't a duty entrusted to just anyone. At the very least, he wouldn't turn his back on someone who had once killed him.
Then... he must truly have no memories. Unless he had some other purpose for appointing her.
Could there be some ulterior motive?
"Why did you appoint me as your squire?"
"You..."
Yurien stopped mid-sentence. No—he swallowed his words. His smile faded, and his deep, sunken gaze settled on her. After a long silence, he asked instead.
"Cadet Echinacea. May I request a spar?"
"A... spar?"
"I wish to cross swords with you."
A spar, out of nowhere. Moreover, his tone was cautious, almost like a request. He could have simply ordered it—no, considering the reality of the exalted Knight Commander and a mere new officer cadet, it would have been normal for Eki to be the one begging him for even a single match.
"I... I..."
Unconsciously, Eki faltered and stepped back. She absolutely did not want to cross blades with him. As far as she knew, Yurien was the strongest knight, the most exceptional Giosa Owner. She wasn't confident she could face him without revealing her true skills. Yet, outright refusing in a situation where most would be overjoyed was also difficult.
"Not now, if you prefer. Whenever you're ready."
Seeing her hesitation, he calmly added. As he did, he loosened and lowered his hood. His loosely tied silver hair cascaded down, his face fully revealed under the lamplight. Bathed in the soft glow, he looked as if he were haloed.
"As for why I chose you as my squire... I'll answer after we've crossed swords."
He stepped closer and draped his cloak over Eki. Her dress, meant for a spring outing, was thin, with a design that left her shoulders bare. The deep blue hooded cloak settled over her shoulders. He lightly adjusted the edges.
"The night is chilly, so keep your walk short, Cadet Echinacea."
His hands, having loosened the cloak's ties, slowly withdrew. Yurien turned away. As he walked, his strikingly silver hair fully exposed, people recognized the Knight Commander and hastily stepped aside, bowing at the waist. He acknowledged them with a slight nod before disappearing into the distance. Eki stood frozen, unmoving, until he was completely out of sight.
[What the hell is that guy thinking? Langiosa, you bastard, you picked one hell of a weird master.]
The muttering of the Magic Sword snapped her back to her senses. She clutched Yurien's cloak around her shoulders. Her fingertips trembled.
Did he know about the erased past? Why did he remember her from the birthday banquet? What was his reason for appointing her as his squire? Why had he requested a spar? Just what was he thinking right now? She knew nothing. In this moment, there was only one thing she could be certain of.
The warmth of the cloak draped over her shoulders.
This warmth, neither anticipated nor expected, flowed from her shoulders and spread deep into her chest. Yet the meaning behind that warmth remained as unknowable as everything else.
That night, Echinacea did not have a nightmare. Instead, she dreamed a strange dream.
In the dream, she was in the underground dungeon of Agenka Castle. A familiar sight—the very dungeon where she had once been imprisoned. Shackles bound her limbs, yet she did not thrash about. Her body was her own, not the magic sword's.
Through the cracks of the double-locked iron door, a blinding light seeped in. As she stared blankly at that light, footsteps echoed from beyond the door. He was coming. Somehow, she knew immediately—it was Yurien.
Eki rose to her feet. The moment she stood, the shackles binding her wrists and ankles crumbled away. Her limbs felt light. Her unsteady steps quickened as she drew closer to the iron door.
She opened the door. A silver-haired man stood with his back to the light, gazing at her. The backlight obscured his face. She looked up at him and smiled brightly, her expression brimming with joy as she spoke to him.
"Thank you for waiting for me."
The dream ended there. Echinacea opened her eyes without a sound. Even after waking, she lay still, staring at the ceiling for a long while. It wasn't a nightmare, but it was a bittersweet dream. She exhaled deeply and got up.
At the military academy, days without classes were entirely self-regulated, save for the temporary duties of a squire. There was no need to rise early in the morning. Yet her roommate, Alice, was already awake.
Alice, fresh from a shower, wore a thin shirt and trousers, her skin still damp. When she spotted Echinacea perched on the edge of her bed, her expression stiffened. Last night, Alice had been in the room when Eki returned—wrapped in an unmistakably oversized man's cloak.
A roommate who slipped out of the academy late on the very first night, only to come back draped in a man's cloak. Alice had bitten back the words that threatened to spill out, thoughts of a duel flashing through her mind.
Even now, it was the same. Alice's gaze traveled from Eki's lace-trimmed nightgown to her hands. On them were white gloves—not the kind for knights or training, but thin, delicate women's gloves. Wearing gloves even to sleep?
"......."
Alice's face was full of things left unsaid, but she swallowed them down and turned away. Then, as if something had caught her foot, she paused mid-step before bending to pick it up. Her brow furrowed.
"I told myself I wouldn't interfere, but this..."
She tossed it onto Eki's bed. It was the appointment letter. Eki must have left it unfolded after reading it yesterday and forgotten about it. Alice wiped the water trickling down her chin with the back of her hand before snapping sharply.
"Did you leave this out to flaunt it? As if I didn't already know you've become the Captain's squire."
Without waiting for a reply, Alice snatched up her cadet jacket and sword and stormed out of the room. Eki had expected her to slam the door in irritation, but surprisingly, she didn't.