Chapter 41
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 41
Translation: godsn
[I don't think one day will be enough. Hey, you need to train more.]
"You know I'm doing my best. It's only been two months since I came back."
[Huh? It's only been two months?]
"I returned on March 17th, and today is May 18th. Exactly two months. For a young lady who could barely lift a teaspoon, this is pretty fast progress."
[Ugh, whatever! Get stronger faster! I'm so bored with you just lying around! Bored bored booored!]
"Shut up, you're too loud. My head's ringing."
[Tch.]
Eki ignored the magic sword's whining and wiped her flushed cheeks with a towel. As she did, she used mana to pull Nicole's telegram from the back of the drawer.
—Visiting Agenka on escort duty with VIP. Will discuss White Lion then.
"Who's the VIP and when are they arriving? I know telegram fees are expensive, but how could you leave out the most important details, Nicole."
Eki sighed as she set the telegram down. The mana-infused paper fluttered lightly back into the drawer. Matters concerning the imperial family and Count Roaz's household weren't things she could solve by thinking alone. Giving up, she burrowed deeper under the blankets.
Just as she was drifting in and out of sleep, she sensed someone approaching her room. Two people. Eki cracked her eyes open slightly, watching the door. Soon, a knock came.
"Cadet Echinacea, are you in there? May we enter?"
"She might be sleeping. Knocking is rude."
"Then should we enter without knocking? Wouldn't that be ruder?"
"...That's true, but."
The sound of hushed bickering came from outside the door. Familiar voices. Fatima and Alice. Eki propped herself up, arranging pillows behind her back. The door soon opened, revealing Alice carrying a meal tray with Fatima following behind.
"Cadet Echinacea! You're supposed to be sick!"
"Hello, Senior Fatima. It's nothing serious."
Fatima rushed to Eki's bedside the moment she saw her sitting up, perching on the edge of the mattress. She pressed both hands against Eki's forehead and then her own before shaking her head vigorously.
"You shouldn't even think about leaving this bed today. Wait here, I'll bring some good medicine!"
"There's really no need—"
"Let me earn some points, okay? I haven't given up on you yet!"
Fatima flashed a bright smile before vanishing from the room in an instant. Alice approached with an apologetic expression, carefully setting the tray down in front of Eki.
"Sorry about this, Eki. Senior Fatima asked why I was going to the dining hall alone and where you were."
"Senior Fatima would do that. But this is..."
Alice lifted the lid of the bowl. Steam rose from a warm, creamy stew—filled with tender chunks of meat and vegetables, mild and comforting. It wasn't on the communal dining hall's breakfast menu, and clearly meant for someone recovering. As Eki stared at the stew in confusion, Alice handed her a spoon and explained.
"Even when you're resting, you need to eat. I had the kitchen make this specially, so have some."
"...You told me to go train, but you went to the kitchen instead..."
"Once you finish eating, I'll go train, so don't worry. If you're really concerned, you can spar with me after you recover."
Alice smiled knowingly. Eki bowed her head slightly, spoon in hand.
"I-it's not that I was worried... Thank you, Alice."
Her face flushed slightly as she murmured the words. She's embarrassed. Alice suppressed the urge to laugh.
After that sparring match and the freshman ranking tournament, Eki and Alice were practically inseparable—except during monster subjugation missions. Through their time together, Alice came to realize that Echinacea Roaz was unexpectedly soft-hearted. To be precise, she was vulnerable to kindness or those who acted meekly. While she brushed off malice without a second thought, she grew flustered both when receiving and showing goodwill.
Yet at the same time, she could be disarmingly honest—casually saying things like, "You have the bearing of a knight," or "Crossing swords with you would be a pleasure." Alice found herself watching Eki eat the stew with an unconscious smile. For a while, only the clinking of the spoon filled the room—until the door burst open noisily. It was Fatima.
"Hey, you two! I just heard huge news on my way here!"
Her face was alight with excitement as she scurried inside. Then, placing a small glass jar on Eki's tray, she continued,
"Ah, this is honey infused with medicinal herbs—you can steep it like tea. It's a folk remedy passed down in my family. Good for the body and tasty. Anyway, real big news, huge news!"
"What happened?" Alice asked, puzzled.
Fatima perched at the foot of the bed, her eyes gleaming as she looked between Eki and Alice.
"I'll tell you, but in exchange, you have to join our club."
"......"
"We did agree that if you two got along, you'd both join together!"
"I don't recall ever giving you that answer, Senior Fatima."
"Ugh, tough crowd."
Fatima pouted at Eki's retort. Eki's gaze flickered between the jar of honeyed herbs and the nearly empty stew bowl. Her scratchy throat had been soothed by the warm stew. Setting the bowl and jar side by side, she felt a strange, melting ease in her chest.
Meanwhile, Fatima sighed dramatically and relented.
"Fine, I'll just tell you. You know the overall ranking tournament is on May 30th, right? Well, that day—"
"Senior Fatima."
"Hm?"
"What kind of club is Wisdom?"
Fatima's sulky expression brightened instantly, as if someone had flipped a switch. She braced herself against the bed and leaned in eagerly.
"O-Our club? It's a great club!"
"...So what makes it a great club?"
"Uh, well, first of all, it's autonomous! And, uh, um... Wait, hold on."
Fatima had been relentless in recruiting Eki, but she clearly hadn't expected to be put on the spot like this. She floundered for a moment, struggling to organize her thoughts. While she was deep in contemplation, Alice turned to Eki.
"Are you considering joining a club, Eki?"
"Maybe. What about you, Alice? Are you in one?"
"No. None have particularly appealed to me..."
"Why do you think clubs aren't worth it?" Fatima cut in abruptly.
Alice tilted her head slightly before answering.
"Most clubs nowadays are little more than social gatherings. People group together based on lineage and family ties, discussing affairs back home or inviting junior knights and knights from their own factions for lectures. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing—it's just not what I'm looking for. So for now, I have no intention of joining one."
This was all news to Eki, who had lived completely detached from the academy's mainstream social scene. Her eccentric attire was one thing, but being appointed as a squire on her very first day—and thus receiving separate training from Baraha—had also kept her out of the loop.
'Now that I think about it, Senior Baraha did mention there are clubs where scum like Bread and his ilk gather.'
I remembered thinking it was absurd enough that there were fools, but to have a whole club full of them was downright staggering. Fatima nodded at Alice's words, then turned her gaze to Echinacea.
"What about you, Cadet Echinacea? Why aren't you interested in clubs?"
"I just find group activities bothersome. I don't want to be tied down."
"Hmm. I've heard both of your thoughts now."
Fatima grinned. She straightened her posture and declared with conviction:
"In that case, Wisdom is absolutely perfect for you two! Perfect! So both of you should join our club!"
"Just what kind of club is this Wisdom? I've heard about most clubs, but this is my first time hearing of Wisdom."
As Alice asked with a faint frown between her brows, Fatima answered promptly.
"No wonder you haven't heard. I'm the founding club president of Wisdom, and currently, there are no other members."
"...Excuse me?"
"It's a club I created. A select few, autonomous action, pursuing the path of becoming wise knights—"
"Wait a minute, are you saying there haven't been any members until now?"
Echinacea asked in a tone of disbelief. Fatima averted her eyes with an awkward smile.
"If you two join, then there'll be two members. Well... the truth is, the kind of club I wanted didn't exist at the military academy. So as soon as I became a second-year eligible to start a club, I founded one."
"What kind of club did you want, Senior?"
"First of all, nothing massive like the current clubs with dozens of members. Club parties are a hassle, and I don't want to screen members based on their origins or family connections. I'm not interested in establishing some time-honored tradition either. And I absolutely refuse to bring politics into it. I just want to train alongside exceptional talents, like when clubs first began at the academy."
"...I see. Politics... That must have been the discomfort I felt. The current clubs are too large and heavily political. While politics has its place, the club I wanted was purely for cadets to train together. But no such club remained. I deeply resonate with your vision."
Alice murmured with a slightly surprised expression. Fatima rolled her eyes and continued.
"Our club will meet once a week for sparring sessions. Those who want to meet more often can arrange it among themselves. If anyone wants to invite an instructor for special training, just let me know. I'll handle the arrangements."
"That's all?"
"Yep, everything else is voluntary. Everyone has their own preferred training methods, right? I'll help if needed, but I don't want forced training sessions like other clubs. I don't plan to expand beyond ten members either. Six to eight seems ideal—that way, everyone can spar each time we meet."
The rules were far more relaxed than Echinacea had expected. Since there were no members besides Fatima anyway, joining Wisdom with Alice seemed like a decent idea. There'd be no obligation to group activities. She'd also taken a liking to Fatima, who hadn't cared about the strange rumors from the beginning.
'If I join the club, I could help Senior Fatima with her swordsmanship too. During the monster subjugation, I noticed she could improve significantly with just a few adjustments. And saying my skills improved through a club would sound more natural than claiming I developed them alone. Hmm, not bad at all.'
Echinacea pondered briefly before glancing at Alice. Catching her gaze, Alice gave a small nod. Noticing their silent exchange, Fatima's face brightened.