The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 49

Translation: godsn

"Playing around, aren't we?"

"She's insane, completely insane. What kind of confidence made that senior challenge her to a duel?"

"Hey, this is actually terrifying."

The edges of clothes, sleeve cuffs, button threads, shoe ornaments, the back of shirt collars, hair tips. Eki was precisely cutting only these parts without leaving a single wound on Bread's body. The club members who had initially mocked her gradually realized something was seriously wrong, their expressions changing. One by one, their chattering mouths clamped shut. They subtly stepped backward, trying to appear as mere bystanders.

Bread could no longer attack and had shifted into a defensive stance, paralyzed by fear. It felt like standing naked among snakes baring their fangs - the serpents would approach as if to bite, only to slither across his skin without striking. The uncertainty of when they might suddenly sink their fangs in was even more terrifying. At this point, he'd rather be cut quickly.

But no matter how he tried to block, Eki's sword effortlessly evaded his defenses to slice exactly where she intended. When the blade rose as if to slash his groin, leaving only a hair-thin scratch on his leather belt before withdrawing, Bread's face finally turned deathly pale.

"S-s-stop! Stop it!"

Bread screamed as if in agony. The moment his words fell, Eki's sword came at him violently. Clutching his own sword, Bread squeezed his eyes shut. The blade stopped precisely at a distance where it seemed to touch the tip of his nose.

"Open your eyes, Senior. It shouldn't have hurt at all - you're so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠easily frightened."

Though spoken in a flat tone, to Bread it sounded like scathing mockery. Yet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he had no will left to retort. Gasping for breath, Bread remained silent. The blade hovering a paper's width from his face was terrifying enough to raise goosebumps. So were the violet eyes visible beyond it.

"Do you admit defeat?"

"Y-yes, I admit it. I admit defeat. Put away your sword...!"

The sword withdrew cleanly. At the crisp sound of the blade sheathing, Bread staggered before collapsing to his knees. His face had turned ashen as if he'd seen a ghost.

When Eki approached him after sheathing her sword, Bread instinctively scrambled backward while bracing against the ground. Though it was an undignified sight, surprisingly no laughter erupted among the cadets. The overwhelming pressure of Echinacea's swordsmanship had left a greater impression than Bread's humiliating display.

Standing over Bread, Eki looked down and spoke.

"Get up, Senior. As promised, you need to kneel and apologize. To our club president."

Fatima, who had been standing dazed, snapped back to attention at these words. Shaking her head, she approached Eki.

"Uh, Eki, I'm fine—"

"I'm not fine. Senior Bread, what are you doing?"

Violet eyes tinged with red gazed down coldly. The sensation of a blade scraping against his nape made Bread hastily rise to his knees. He bowed his head toward Fatima.

"I... spoke out of turn. Forgive me..."

Alice, who had been watching from the side, interjected in a stern tone.

"Out of turn? Your attitude wasn't a slip of the tongue. Didn't you act exactly as you always thought? Don't try to minimize your wrongdoing by calling it a mistake."

"Right? I almost let that slide. Thanks for pointing that out, Alice."

Eki's eyes widened before turning back to Bread. Already pale, Bread seemed to wither further under that gaze. He hurriedly bowed his head again.

"Y-yeah, it's just what I've always thought came spilling out! I was stupid. I'm sorry, really. I won't do it again, I swear!"

"Uh, well... okay, I get it. You really mustn't do this again, alright? And don't pick fights with our club anymore either. You saw it, didn't you? Our club members are even scarier than me."

Fatima, who had been scratching her cheek, said with a laugh. Bread nodded fervently, and though Alice frowned, she didn't say anything more. Eki let out a faint sigh.

Rosalin Diassant, having watched the scene unfold up to this point, turned away. She quietly distanced herself from the training grounds. With most cadets gathered at the Sixth Training Ground, the academy had grown sparse. She made her way toward the knights' headquarters, only to abruptly collide with someone rushing down the path.

"...Lady Diassant."

"My, Your Highness Yurien—no, Sir."

Yurien steadied his slightly ragged breath and fixed her with a cold stare.

"Wandering around alone—where do you think you're going?"

"Is the Azure Sky Knights' territory not safe?"

"You know perfectly well just how dangerous your situation is. Always keep your escort knights with you."

Rosalin silently studied the expressionless man before her. Her instincts flared. The fact that he had appointed a freshman as his squire on the very first day of enrollment, and that this freshman was the daughter of Count Roaz—these two details had driven her to secretly observe Echinacea Roaz. She had cross-referenced the rumors her maid brought about the Wisdom Club's gathering.

To turn suspicion into certainty, Rosalin posed a question.

"Sir Yurien, you didn't rush here yourself out of concern for me, did you?"

"Your safety is important. There are many who would target you."

"No, you came because you found out where I went, didn't you? If you were truly worried about my safety, you could've just sent an escort knight."

She smiled faintly and added,

"Echinacea Roaz... You must've heard that I went to meet your squire. Clearly, you have ears planted near me."

"......"

Yurien closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. His blue ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes, framed by silver lashes, were as sharp as a blade—as though touching them would draw blood.

"Lady Diassant. Do not cross the line."

"My, so she is your line?"

"You're interpreting things as you please. Imagination is free, but remember this."

Yurien stepped closer to Rosalin. His voice, cold enough to freeze the air, whispered low.

"I have yet to decide anything."

"...Did you ever have another choice to begin with?"

"Not if I decide to relinquish Langiosa."

The smile vanished from Rosalin's face. The wielder of the Holy Sword had just suggested—with his own words—that he might abandon it. The weight of that implication was anything but trivial.

The Holy Sword Langiosa could no longer be wielded if its owner committed evil. Thus, Langiosa's owner was bound to never act against the universal principles of human justice.

In truth, this was the primary reason why the imperial family regarded Yurien—both the sovereign of Agenka and the Captain of the Azure Sky Knights—without wariness. A man who had no choice but to always act righteously—what a convenient existence he was.

But if he were to let go of the Holy Sword...

"...The scope of your choices would expand tremendously."

Yurien's words sounded deceptively soft. Yet they were far more chilling than his earlier sharp warning. Rosalin's face paled.

"Lady Diassant. Return to your quarters now. I expect you not to wander without an escort from now on."

With that, he turned toward the academy. Rosalin Diassant stood frozen in place for a long moment, unable to take a step. Only after barely steadying her startled breath did she finally retreat to her room, murmuring to herself,

"My god, he's deeper than I thought. This... might actually be possible..."

After Bread and the Noblesse Club had left, the Wisdom club continued their meeting. The matter of selecting new club members was decided by having both Eki and Alice leave it to the club president, Fatima. After sparring and some brief conversation, the first meeting concluded successfully.

As the sparring ended, the gathered cadets gradually dispersed. Some cadets followed Fatima, likely to inquire about club membership. Eki and Alice returned to the dormitory together.

"After sparring today, I realized I don't seem to put enough strength into my upper strikes. What do you think, Eki?"

"Hmm... Alice, your lower body tends to waver when you raise your sword high. To stabilize your center, you should widen your stance a bit more..."

Eki's words trailed off as they walked side by side. She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Eki?"

Alice turned back curiously at her, who hadn't followed. Eki's gaze was fixed straight ahead. Following her line of sight, Alice spotted a silver-haired man. Recognizing him, Alice hastily performed an Agenka-style salute.

"Ar Sebat-tiem. It's an honor to see you, Captain."

"Cadet Alice, would you excuse us? I have something to discuss with my squire."

Yurien acknowledged her with a nod and spoke calmly. Alice, understanding, turned to Eki.

"Yes, Captain. Then I'll go ahead first, Eki."

"Ah... Alright, Alice."

Eki barely resisted the urge to grab Alice's sleeve. Fortunately, Alice didn't seem to notice her strange reaction and, after a brief farewell, headed toward the dormitory. Only Eki and Yurien remained on the path. Eki immediately bowed her head deeply.

'What do I do? I can't even look him in the eye.'

Now that she was aware of her own feelings, she couldn't bring herself to face him properly. A mix of shyness, guilt, and the possibility that he might be engaged weighed her head down. She fixed her gaze on the lace of her dress's hem and stayed silent.

Yurien, too, said nothing for a while. Eki could feel his gaze lingering near her forehead before trailing down along her loose strands of hair. Suddenly, she became acutely self-conscious about how her hair must look. She wanted to reach up and fix it but felt too embarrassed.

'Ugh, after sparring, my hair must be a complete mess...'

What about her outfit? Her makeup? She desperately wanted to check a mirror. It wasn't just the fear of resembling the Demon of the Magic Sword. She was simply too conscious of how she might appear to him at this moment.

[What the hell are they doing? He said he had something to say, so why isn't he saying anything? Are they having a contest to see who breaks the silence first?]

The Magic Sword grumbled, bored. After a long silence, Yurien finally spoke.

"Echinacea."

"...Yes, Lord."

Her reply was slightly delayed. Now that she was his squire, Yurien no longer addressed her as "cadet." Though he had called her by name only a handful of times before, the mere absence of a formal title now made her heart plummet.

'No, he called me by name right after the appointment too. It didn't feel like this back then. This is just...'

Because she had become aware of her own feelings. Every nerve already attuned to him now burned even brighter. Realizing this anew, Eki ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt her face flush. From the nape of her neck to the tips of her ears, everything burned. There was no way she could lift her head now—not that she had planned to before, but now it was utterly impossible.

After calling her name, Yurien fell silent again. His gaze lingered intently around her forehead, as if trying to glimpse the face hidden beneath. Then, he spoke once more.

"Has something happened?"