Chapter 31
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 31
Translation: godsn
Without ever obstructing Yurien's movements, she precisely drove her sword into the minor monsters he overlooked. With supremely efficient and simple motions, she severed the monsters' lifelines. There were no flashy techniques or eye-catching skills. Yet her figure irresistibly drew the gaze.
Behind the white-mana-wreathed silver-haired Captain, the violet hem of her dress spread wide like dancing fabric as it swirled. The voluminous sleeves traced intricate patterns through the air in place of simple sword swings.
A Redcap that had been burrowing underground reached out to grab her ankle. Without even looking down, she sidestepped it with a light footwork. Then the high heel of her ribbon-adorned ankle boots stomped down to pin the monster's arm, and without hesitation, her silver-coated sword plunged between its eyes. When the monster's blood spurted upward, she avoided it with a displeased expression, like a noble lady sidestepping mud splashed by a carriage.
The wide-brimmed feathered hat remained perfectly perched throughout all these movements. The hat sitting primly on her head was proof of how impeccably she maintained her balance even in motion.
Thanks to this, she remained completely untouched by blood, identical to when she'd first set out. A sight wholly incongruous with this space filled with mist, walking corpses, and stench. The mere fact she maintained this appearance was testament to her skill. That she didn't even blink when rotting-eyed monsters charged was just an added bonus.
'They said the Captain suddenly nominated a Squire out of nowhere...'
'Genius recognizes genius...'
'Monsters flock together. A full-grown monster and a monster in the making.'
'I thought she might be out of her mind judging by the outfit... but at that level, no one can say anything no matter what she wears.'
The observers behind them clicked their tongues inwardly. Their eyes were drawn to her unconsciously. Then they simultaneously turned their heads away—because Echinacea had casually hitched up her dress hem as she stepped forward. The dark stockings visible beneath lace petticoats in this den of corpse-hopping monsters were an unexpectedly stimulating sight.
'The silver powder's running low.'
Of course, Eki hadn't acted with any particular intention. She hadn't even hitched it up that high. Holding up the gathered fabric in one hand, she opened the pouch fastened to her thigh with a leather belt.
Those who couldn't use mana coated their swords with powdered silver mixed with blessings when fighting monsters. Ordinary blades struggled to damage monsters with strong regeneration. Some spectral monsters couldn't even be cut unless by a silver-coated sword.
Though Eki had no need for such tools, since she had to conceal her Master status, she used the silver powder too. As she applied it to her blade, she kicked away a charging skeleton's legs before crushing its skull under her ankle boot's elongated heel.
'This is unexpectedly useful.'
She chuckled while looking down at her shoe, then frowned. The black leather was ruined by monster blood, fluids, and bone fragments. They'd been a favorite pair. Oh well. With an inward sigh, she raised her sword again.
Yurien wasn't remotely a concern. There were just numbers—no higher-tier monsters like Dullahans in sight. Worrying about him in this riffraff nest would be wasteful even if Dullahans were roaming. She subtly shifted her gaze to scan the rear ranks. While searching for Alice's golden hair, another glittering blond head caught her eye first—Mihail.
'Teresa took the left canyon... why's he here?'
Puzzled, she observed briefly and saw Mihail holding his own in combat. Then their eyes met abruptly—because Mihail had been stealing glances at Eki the whole time. The moment their gazes locked, Mihail turned beet red up to his ears and sharply spun his head away.
'What's up with him?'
Echinacea tilted her head in puzzlement before quickly losing interest and searching for Alice instead. Though splattered with monster blood, Alice was unharmed. Worried there might be some precarious moments, Eki checked on her a few more times, but Alice was, as expected, diligently and meticulously carrying out her duties. Fatima and Ian weren't on this side—they were assigned to Teresa's subjugation squad, so they weren't visible.
Finally reassured, Eki turned her attention forward. Even while distracted, she had reflexively taken care of the stray monsters Yurien had missed. It was smoother than expected—almost boring, even.
As the sun climbed to its zenith and began its descent, Yurien halted the entire squad.
"Brief rest. Everyone, eat."
The members swiftly cleared the nearby monsters before settling down, leaning against rocks or sitting cross-legged as they chewed on jerky and drank water for lunch. Eki, too, pulled out her own jerky and gnawed absently—until Yurien's movements caught her eye.
He wasn't eating. Instead, he was staring up at the sky. She followed his gaze. The fog was thick enough that an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to see anything, but Yurien and Eki were beyond human—such haze meant little to them.
Dark clouds were gathering. It looked highly likely that rain would pour down by evening. The clouds were so heavy and black that lightning might strike as well.
'Rain. Lightning. Night.'
The same conditions when Baraha had died. Eki's nerves sharpened. After scanning the sky, Yurien lowered his head. Their eyes met.
His blue eyes blinked slowly. In them, in his every motion, something struck her like lightning. She realized what he was thinking. Just now, they had seen the same thing and come to the same conclusion. She even guessed what his next order would be. She had already figured it out.
Breaking eye contact, he turned to address the squad.
"The weather's turning. We'll postpone this afternoon's hunt until tomorrow and return to camp."
Trusting their captain, none of them objected. The members began gathering their belongings in a flurry. Eki stood frozen in place. Yurien approached and lightly touched her shoulder.
"Cadet Echinacea. Good work. Rest well once we return to camp."
His hand left her just as quickly. Pale-faced, she watched him walk away.
'He remembers. He's aware.'
[Hey, that guy... he's definitely—]
The Magic Sword muttered, sounding startled. Eki pressed her lips together and followed the retreating squad. She pieced together everything that had happened so far, every word he'd spoken. Amid the blank whiteness of her mind, certainty surfaced.
Yurien knew. The erased past. The events that had now never come to pass. He had memories from before the regression.
What she had desperately denied had become undeniable certainty, crashing over her. Dazed, she thought:
'Then why doesn't he hate me? Why isn't he trying to kill me?'
She couldn't understand. As she retraced her steps down the path now littered with dead monsters, the stench and fog the only remnants, that single thought consumed her.
She recalled Langiosa—the sword she could never wield—and the bloodstained fountain. The corpses strewn around it. Agenka, lifeless. His name, branded as the worst captain, the one who had doomed the Blue Sky. The look in his eyes as he lay dying.
If Yurien had been tainted by the Magic Sword, slaughtered the Roaz Count's family, and stepped over the corpses of her parents and Lancelid to face her—Echinacea would have hated him. Even if her mind knew it wasn't his fault, her heart would never have forgiven him. And if she had died by his hand, she might have cursed him with her last breath.
Yes. That was exactly what she had done. To him.
And Yurien wasn't even just a victim. He was the one who had believed in her, pushed himself to the brink to give her a chance to overcome the Magic Sword. He could have disposed of her at any time, but he refused—instead, he brought her into his own home.
"How much must he have regretted? How much must he have resented?"
Eki simply couldn't—couldn't fathom the idea that he didn't hate her. At the most optimistic, she could imagine him feeling a sliver of pity for her. Given his noble character, perhaps he hadn't even cursed her.
But no matter how positively she tried to spin it, there was no way he—who carried that horrific memory—could have smiled at her so openly last night. No one could smile like that in front of the person who had killed them. There was no reason for him to show her kindness.
"He doesn't know. It's the only explanation that makes sense."
Eki muttered the words like a groan, her voice ragged, nearly a scream. The Magic Sword, which had been silently brooding, swiftly seized her words.
[Don't know? Who doesn't know what?]
"I..."
She swallowed the rest of her words. No matter how softly she spoke, there were squad members nearby returning to camp—she didn't want to risk uttering it. The word Magic Sword.
Yurien didn't know that Echinacea Roaz was the Demon of the Magic Sword. Or, at the very least, he might suspect but couldn't be certain. The deduction she had made right after their first reunion resurfaced in her mind.
If he has the memories but no proof, and is merely keeping watch... If he suspects me of being the Demon of the Magic Sword, someone who could commit atrocities at any moment... then he'd keep me as close as possible. Under surveillance. Until he finds irrefutable evidence. Yes. Nothing else makes sense.
The more she thought about it, the more terrifyingly well it fit. Now she understood why he had challenged her to a duel, why he had acted as though he held goodwill toward her.
Yurien was testing her. In this regressed timeline, unaware of who had turned back time, he would naturally wonder whether Echinacea—an officer cadet who hadn't existed in the past—also retained memories from before the regression. And at the same time, he would be carefully probing whether Echinacea Roaz was the Demon of the Magic Sword.
If he became certain that she was the Demon of the Magic Sword, then he would—
Her mouth tasted bitterly dry. Something inside her felt crushed. Eki stared blankly ahead. Yurien's retreating figure, walking back to camp, was pale and immaculate. She didn't want to look at him anymore, so she closed her eyes.
The rain had started pouring after sunset. It was a torrential downpour, so violent she worried the drops might tear through the fabric of the tents. Before long, thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky.
Eki sat at the entrance of the tent, slightly lifting the flap to peer outside. Beyond the relentless sheets of rain, the world was pitch black. The torches had long since succumbed to the storm, leaving only a few expensive magic lanterns barely clinging to life, their light flickering precariously. Every time lightning flashed, the surroundings were briefly illuminated in stark white before plunging back into darkness.
The clamor of the rain drowned out nearly all other sounds. Only the roar of the storm and the occasional thunder remained, creating a strange, hollow silence. The camp was peaceful in this silence. Neither Teresa's group nor Yurien's had suffered anything worse than minor injuries—everyone had returned safely.
Eki propped her knee up and rested her chin on it. Her violet eyes, unblinking, remained fixed on one spot. Though she was still in the same dress as earlier, the stillness of her gaze and the quiet tension in her coiled posture made her look like a predator lying in wait.
[Bored yet?]
"Not really."
She answered distractedly. Her attention was fixed on Baraha's tent, while simultaneously stretching her senses outward, scanning her surroundings. She had maintained this state for over three hours now. She should have been exhausted, but her mind was unnervingly sharp.
She didn't want to think about Yurien—so she focused on this instead. Clearing her mind completely, she honed in on nothing but the detection of danger.