Chapter 51
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 51
Translation: godsn
[Why did you suddenly pull your hair out?]
"There are times in life when things like that happen."
[What kind of answer is that? Master's acting strange.]
"You wouldn't understand—you're a creature that only knows bloodlust."
[Hey, that's my instinct, okay?]
Eki ignored the magic sword's grumbling as she got out of bed. The diligent Alice had already left for dawn training and wasn't in the room. She opened the wardrobe and selected the dress she would wear today. Rummaging through the contents, she pulled out a thin lace-covered garment with a deep purple lining.
'I'll need summer dresses soon. I should contact home to have some sent.'
The fashion must have changed—perhaps I should go shopping too. What kind of clothing stores does Agenka have? Eki absentmindedly pondered this as she pulled on her stockings. Then she startled herself at her own thoughts. Considering shopping while getting dressed—and so naturally at that. How many years has it been?
Come to think of it, she'd already grown accustomed to lounging in bed rather than rising immediately in the morning. In the past, it had felt less like sleeping and more like briefly closing her eyes, and even after returning, lying around doing nothing had been torture.
Eki raised her head and looked in the mirror. The reflection showed her youthful twenty-year-old self. She continued staring at the mirror as she fastened her petticoat and adjusted the ties.
The eldest daughter of House Roaz, a count's young lady. A girl who loved pretty things and enjoyed dressing up. Not the nameless Demon of the Magic Sword, but 'Echinacea Roaz.'
Without realizing it, her original self—the one she'd lost after being tainted by the magic sword—had returned.
This didn't mean she'd reverted to her ignorant past. She had changed tremendously.
If something could be achieved through effort, she could now dedicate everything to that effort. She'd learned restraint and patience. Trained herself to keep one corner of her mind cold even amidst rage. Her perspective on people had changed. She'd become more honest in some ways, more secretive in others.
Throughout those painful years, she'd rarely slept properly. Had scarcely experienced happiness. Thought only of her goals. Beyond the bare minimum actions needed for survival, she hadn't enjoyed life. Saw many ugly sights, committed acts bordering on crime. Had she not, she couldn't have gathered all the Giosas—scattered after Agenka's fall—in just nine short years.
From head to toe, her soul had undergone such complete transformation it might as well have been turned inside out. Yet she hadn't forgotten how to be happy. Hadn't completely lost that ordinary self from peaceful times. As room returned to her parched heart, the things she'd lost came flowing back.
She'd developed desires—things she wanted to do, enjoyed doing, wished to possess. Laughed more frequently. The number of times she'd smiled since returning already surpassed all her smiles from those nine years.
Not everything was completely resolved, and new problems had arisen. She'd also learned things she'd never known before. The future remained uncertain, with variables piling up. She wasn't even sure what to do with these newly realized emotions.
Yet even so, the present was far better than the erased past. Eki smiled slightly as she pinned a jeweled hairpin in place.
'I'll make time to go shopping later. Who should I go with? Nicole hates shopping... Would Alice enjoy it? What about Senior Fatima?'
Going together would undoubtedly be fun. The mere thought kept making the corners of her mouth rise as she did her makeup, causing her no small trouble. As she finished and stood up, another thought suddenly occurred to her.
"What kind of style would Yurien like?"
The mere thought made her flush with embarrassment, her cheeks burning. The long-suppressed emotions that had only just begun to bloom were so sweet and tender that it was hard to maintain composure. Her heart, freed from restraint, swelled uncontrollably. Echi imagined him looking at her and calling her beautiful, just as she had once done.
"Ugh. Ughhh......"
She let out a strange noise and covered her face with both hands. Her face was burning crimson. Fanning herself and fidgeting, she barely managed to calm down.
Then, the black mark on her right palm caught her eye. A symbol of the past that always put her on edge. A stain left by nightmares. Echi's eyes cooled instantly. The heat that had gathered in her face subsided. She stared quietly at the evidence of the Magic Sword.
[Why are you staring? Got something to say?]
"No, nothing."
She picked up a pair of deep purple silk gloves to match her dress, concealing the mark on her palm beneath them. A long-held breath finally escaped her. The mirror came into view. Reflected in it was the resplendent Echinacea Roaz—a woman hiding the Demon of the Magic Sword.
All those expressions of Yurien's must have been directed at Echinacea Roaz.
At the Birthday Banquet, he had said he'd seen her. That it was personal interest. Perhaps there was a possibility for Echinacea Roaz. If she disregarded the circumstances surrounding him, the engagement issue—if she considered only his attitude alone.
She didn't dare wish for that possibility to come true. She shouldn't wish for it. Still, she didn't want to be found out. Absolutely not. Desperately not. More than the fear of being hunted down for wielding the Magic Sword, she feared seeing his expression change toward her. It was a feeling that defied logic.
Clenching her right hand tightly, Echi left the room.
She visited Nicole, who was staying at the knight headquarters. When she mentioned that she and Captain Yurien would be leaving on a long-term mission starting tomorrow, Nicole pushed up her monocle in apparent bewilderment.
"A long-term mission now? Over a week? Could take a month or more?"
"Mhm."
"That's absurd. You of all people know what the current situation is like. You're postponing your choice and going where?"
Nicole ran a hand through her hair, then frowned.
"Echi, haven't you heard anything? What in the world is he going for?"
"He said he couldn't tell me the mission details."
"...Tch, figures."
"Anyway, starting tomorrow, neither I nor the Captain will be in Agenka. Take care, Nicolee."
"Don't worry about Lady Diassant. I'm here, and... Captain Yurien assigned a Giosa Owner as her escort today. Must've been because he was going to be away."
"An Owner? Who?"
"Lady Teresa. Baron Tilius is a man and the Vice Captain, so Lady Teresa was the better choice."
The engagement was one thing, but if Lady Diassant were to die, the imperial family might use it as an excuse to pressure Yurien further. Having heard that from Nicole, Echi felt a quiet relief knowing the lady would be safe.
That was the extent of her rational judgment. Questions about what kind of person Lady Diassant was, what her relationship with Yurien was like—emotional inquiries like that threatened to spill out, so Echi hastily changed the subject.
"Hey, Nicolee."
"Yeah?"
"Who do you think... was behind planting the Magic Sword? The Second Prince's faction or the Crown Prince's?"
"...Even if you found out, what could you possibly do about it?"
"I still need to know. I can't just stay ignorant about who tried to massacre us."
Echi's tone was calm, but there was an eerie chill to it. After a brief silence, Nicole answered slowly.
"Honestly, I think the Second Prince's faction is the more likely culprit. But I can't be certain—there's no evidence. All the information I've gathered so far is a combination of what I've learned within the Magic Tower, among the mages, and from observing the capital's situation. To uncover anything beyond this, we'd need to investigate the imperial palace—"
"No, don't investigate the palace. Absolutely not. That's far too dangerous."
If they were caught snooping into the imperial family's affairs, it could be construed as treason. The risk was far too great. Echinacea had no desire to lose Nicole again. There were other ways to gather information, but someone once lost could never be recovered. She smiled faintly.
"Perhaps it's best not to dig any further. Thank you, Nicolee."
"No need to thank me."
Nicole shook her head and slumped back into her chair, exhaustion evident in her voice as she muttered,
"I'd planned to make whoever brought the Magic Sword to the Roaz family pay once we found them. But now... we can't even uncover who it was, let alone do anything about it. The only answer left is to be careful not to make things even more dangerous. I'm sorry, Eki."
"You have nothing to apologize for. It's all thanks to you that we even know this much. I know you're doing your best—volunteering to guard the princess and all. So please, be careful too."
Echinacea quietly took Nicole's hand where it rested on the table. Nicole startled slightly, glancing down at their joined hands before murmuring,
"You've really changed."
"Is that strange?"
"No. I thought you were just a kid, but now... you're..."
Nicole studied Echinacea's face. If anything, she looked softer now, her features slightly thinner—hardly imposing. And yet, somehow, she no longer felt like the little sister Nicole needed to protect. Staring into those vivid violet eyes, Nicole found herself oddly reassured. Was it because she had become the Magic Sword's wielder? Had that changed her so much? If so, it was a bitter thought.
"...You've grown up, Echinacea Roaz."
"Of course. I've already had my coming-of-age ceremony."
"I thought it'd take you at least five more years to mature."
Echinacea shot her a sidelong glare at that, and Nicole burst out laughing at how familiar the expression looked. Soon, they pushed aside the heavy conversation and fell into idle chatter.
After sharing lunch, Echinacea borrowed something from Nicole before parting ways. She had already informed Alice the night before, so the next person to notify was Fatima. Since she wouldn't be able to attend the club meeting, she needed to let her know in advance.
She cut across the knight headquarters toward the military academy but ran into a familiar face in the corridor before leaving.
"Eki, long time no see."
"Senior Baraha."
This was their first meeting since the appointment ceremony. After that, she had fallen ill, and then attended the club gathering. Now that she was officially a squire, the preliminary training sessions were over, so they no longer had regular reasons to meet.
Baraha looked her over and grinned.
"Feeling better now?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern."
"I wanted to visit you at least once, but my lord kept working me to the bone."
He sulked as he spoke, and now that she looked, the dark circles under his eyes were pronounced. He was also carrying an armful of documents—so many that, given his large frame, she hadn't noticed at first. The stack was tall enough that if she were holding it, she wouldn't be able to see in front of her. She eyed the towering pile with dismay.
"What are all these, Senior?"