Chapter 71
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 71
Translation: godsn
These were individuals who wouldn't be easy to pin down with evidence, given their established networks and connections within Agenka. Wedge belonged to a faction outside their expectations, making him useful. Punishment wouldn't be difficult once evidence was obtained.
[So you're using evil to catch evil? Not bad, I suppose. Still, those are low-quality scum too—don't rely on them too much.]
"I'm well aware, so don't worry."
While entrusting the investigation to Wedge, Yurien simultaneously had trustworthy members investigate Wedge himself. If the organization committed atrocities beyond tolerance, they would need to be dealt with separately from being used as tools. When unaware of an organization's nature, one might let it slide, but once known, it couldn't be left alone.
[Using them thoroughly while preparing to cut them loose from behind—how cunning.]
"Is that not a just approach?"
[No. It's just that the organization itself is evil, so it's different. You know that too, don't you?]
"I thought you'd say that."
[......Sometimes I think, had you not been my wielder, you would've been quite a terrifying human being.]
The Holy Sword grumbled in a weary voice. Whatever Langiosa said, Yurien swiftly moved forward with his plans. He didn't assign the investigation into the Magic Sword's conspiracy to Wedge—it was too vast and dangerous a matter to entrust to some organization.
At any rate, the Crown Prince's faction would undoubtedly be keeping close watch on their rival, the Second Prince's faction. The documents the Crown Prince had shown Yurien three and a half years later couldn't have been compiled in a short period. It meant they would soon uncover clues related to the conspiracy and begin their investigation. Left alone, the Crown Prince's camp would naturally gather evidence on their own.
Delving too deeply into the Magic Sword would inevitably entangle the Roaz family, which he wanted to avoid. He wished for Echinacea Roaz to stay out of the chaos connected to him as much as possible. She had already suffered far too much. This time, at the very least, she should be able to live in peace. So that she could find happiness, just as she had wished before the Divine Sword.
After issuing orders regarding Wedge's investigation, the next step was moving residences. The dormitory within headquarters was more convenient than a detached private residence far from the base.
Yurien completed all these tasks in the few days before Echinacea Roaz's enrollment. And then, he waited only for her arrival.
April 18, 1629.
Echinacea Roaz became an officer cadet. The moment she enrolled, Yurien stamped the assignment order. Once the announcement was made, he found himself unable to focus on anything. He paced restlessly all day.
[What's got you so anxious?]
"I don't know how she'll react."
[Hmm. Well, you can't even be sure whether the wielder of that Magic Sword remembers you or not.]
"What?"
Yurien abruptly stopped pacing. Langiosa sounded slightly flustered as he asked,
[Eh? You didn't know?]
"I... naturally assumed she knew... She awakened Valdergiosa, didn't she? The Magic Sword must have told her about you..."
[Valdergiosa doesn't know I'm a sword that's always awake. We've never spoken. The Giosas surprisingly know very little about each other. Do you think it's common for awakened Giosas to meet each other?]
"......"
[At least I'm always conscious, so I know the others fairly well... But for Valdergiosa, this is likely only her second awakening. She wouldn't know about me.]
Yurien pressed his fingers to his forehead, his face pale. He hadn't realized. He had simply assumed she knew he remembered.
"So... she has no idea whether I remember her or not?"
[That's likely. Think about it—if she knew about you, would she have appeared before you so willingly? The very person who killed her?]
That made sense. He had thought he might be a trigger for her nightmares. Yet she had come to where he was. She could have avoided him if she wanted, but she had appeared before him of her own will.
So he had judged positively, thinking it would be alright. That's why he had decided to nominate her as a Squire.
[It's a past you worked so hard to erase. If she finds out you remember that erased time, she might disappear and never appear before you again.]
The Holy Sword's casual remark left him deeply shaken. If she knew he retained his memories, it would be normal for her to avoid him. She hadn't come to Agenka because she was fine with it—she had come because she didn't know.
For Yurien, who possessed True Sight, recognizing Echinacea had been utterly natural. So it had never even crossed his mind that she might have come to Agenka assuming he wouldn't recognize her, even if she remembered him. Just as Nicole Sizton had failed to recognize Echinacea Roaz when she became a demon, had Yurien lacked True Sight, he too might not have recognized her so easily.
'Was nominating her as a Squire a mistake from the start?'
Yurien stared blankly at the desk. The Squire nomination had already been announced. It was too late to take it back now. She must have already heard.
Because he had assumed she knew everything and had come to Agenka willingly, he hadn't even considered the possibility that she might flee. He had even held onto some hope—that through the Squire nomination, she might realize he bore her no hostility, that she might feel reassured, that their relationship might change, that they might grow closer.
But what if she had only come to Agenka out of necessity, with no intention of ever appearing before him? What if she was currently at ease, believing he didn't remember?
'......A person who remembers the past I barely managed to erase. If she finds out, she might not be able to accept it. She might truly run away. Why didn't I think of this?'
She was Zenith, a realm above Master. If she resolved to hide from him, he might never find her again. That... he didn't want. To lose sight of someone who had finally come within reach—he couldn't bear it.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have nominated her as a Squire. It was practically the same as revealing that he remembered her. He should have approached her more slowly, more carefully. Even knowing the depth of her wounds, he had been hasty. But regret was useless now—the water was already spilled.
Even in the midst of this turmoil, the option of not approaching her never once crossed his mind.
'No, no... It might still be alright. There's no telling how she'll react yet.'
First, he needed to meet her in person. He wanted to go to her immediately. But he wasn't sure if seeking her out right now was the right move. She was already in an unstable state—if he rushed to her right after nominating her, wouldn't it only agitate her further?
His thoughts were a tangled mess. All the plans he had built on the assumption that she knew everything had crumbled. Yurien paced restlessly around the Commander's office before stopping at the window. The office was on a fairly high floor, offering a clear view of the Azure Sky Knights' headquarters.
A flash of pink caught the corner of his eye. Instantly, Yurien activated True Sight. A dazzlingly radiant soul came sharply into focus. Echinacea Roaz was heading toward the city gates.
Agenka was surrounded by an outer wall, with an Inner Castle slightly offset to the north of the city center. Originally, only the Inner Castle had existed, but as the city expanded, the outer wall had been constructed. The Azure Sky Knights' headquarters, the Great Temple, and the Military Academy were all located within the Inner Castle. When people in Agenka referred to "Agenka Castle" or "inside the castle," they meant the area within the Inner Castle.
And she was heading outside it.
An inexplicable dread surged through him. Had she heard about the Squire nomination and realized he remembered? Was she planning to leave like this? Would he never see her again? Yurien grabbed his hood and bolted from the Commander's office at full speed.
[Huh? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?]
The Holy Sword sounded bewildered, but he ignored it. As he ran, he threw on his hood. Taking all the stairs would make him late, so halfway down, he flung open a corridor window and leaped out. He sprinted like a madman, chasing after the direction she had gone.
It didn't take long for him to catch up. The moment Yurien spotted Echinacea's retreating figure, he halted to catch his breath. If he got any closer, she would notice. She didn't seem to be actively scanning her surroundings, but her senses were undoubtedly sharper than his.
Blending into the bustling crowd, Yurien cautiously trailed her. She walked slowly, her attire and demeanor giving no indication that she was fleeing. At first, she wandered aimlessly, but then, at some point, she began heading toward a specific destination—the central plaza.
[You... are being rather rude right now. Secretly following a woman like this.]
The Holy Sword muttered in clear disapproval. Since it wasn't a warning about evil deeds, Yurien ignored Langiosa's words. Meanwhile, Echinacea reached the central plaza. Pushing through the dense crowd, she stopped before the fountain.
The fountain where she had greeted him in the erased autumn of 1632.
The place where they had met for the last time.
The spot where his previous life had ended.
She gazed up at the angel statue atop the fountain. From behind, he couldn't see her expression. Even with True Sight, all he perceived was the quiet flicker of her soul's flame. Yurien closed his useless True Sight and watched her with his bare eyes. Beneath the floral hat adorned with a short veil, strands of her hair swayed faintly.
What was she thinking as she looked at that fountain? What expression was she making? The need to know was unbearable. Was she crying, like the soul he had seen at the very end? Was she blaming herself, even though none of it had been her fault? His feet moved on their own, inching closer.
Then, at some point, she turned her head. Their eyes met.
A pale face framed by cascading pink hair. Vivid violet eyes. The woman he now faced properly for the first time was more beautiful than the faint memory he had of her. No—it wasn't just that she was pretty. There was something about her, something that made it impossible to look away...
Spellbound, he stepped forward—then froze in surprise when he realized he had gotten too close. She looked up at him. The top of her head barely reached his chin. A slender neck, delicate shoulders—a fragile body that made it hard to believe it housed such a formidable soul.
She was nothing like when he had first seen her at the banquet.
Nothing like when he had witnessed her body tainted by the Magic Sword and her soul ablaze.
Nothing like when he had watched her compete in the preliminary rounds at the training grounds, her soul burning like the sun.
Nothing like the version of her he had seen through Langiosa's memories.
This was different. She wasn't tainted by anything, nor was he seeing her through something else. For the first time, he was looking at her—just her—with his own eyes, this close. Alive and breathing right in front of him.
Had that slender body endured all those years and achieved miracles?
Had this woman, who should have been nothing more than an ordinary nobleman's daughter, truly done all that?
The realization struck him anew. And with it came another, clearer understanding.
Ah.
She was a woman.
Only now did he fully grasp it. The desperate longing—to be near her, to reach her, to stay by her side—had never quite reached this point before.
Her eyes, gazing up at him through the veil, were transparent. If he lifted the veil, they would be even clearer, even sharper. He knew that when those eyes burned with resolve, they were breathtakingly intense. And yet, everything surrounding that intensity was infinitely fragile.