Chapter 72
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 72
Translation: godsn
Skin that looked soft to the touch. The pale curve of her neck and shoulders visible through the cascade of her hair.
Her shoulders rose slightly with each breath. Her parted lips trembled faintly—red, damp. The tip of her tongue was just visible inside her mouth.
Something he had never thought of before while watching her. Perhaps he had unconsciously considered it, but never truly acknowledged it. For the first time in his life, Yurien felt desire for another person. A shiver ran through his entire body in an instant.
Startled by the rawness of that desire, he forcefully suppressed it. It didn't work well. So instead, Yurien reminded himself of who she was. The woman standing before him.
"......Echinacea Roaz."
The daughter of Count Roaz. The Demon of the Magic Sword. A swordsman who had reached the pinnacle of the blade, Zenith. The woman who had fallen into the abyss because of him. A soul that had nurtured an ember into a blazing sun. The one who had wrought a miracle. The one who had killed him—and brought him back to life. The most extraordinary, the most resilient, the most precarious, the most captivating existence he had ever encountered.
But no matter how he saw her, her official status at this moment was simply that of an officer cadet.
"Cadet."
He belatedly added the title. Echinacea blinked, as if startled. Seeing her flustered, Yurien hesitated. How should he phrase this? Did she truly not know that he remembered? He tested the words in his mouth several times before finally managing to voice the question.
"Do you know me?"
Echinacea flinched, then lowered her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand. Avoiding his gaze, she replied.
"I'm sorry, but I don't quite recognize you. Do you know me?"
Words she would never dare say if she knew he remembered. She didn't know. She had no idea. She was unaware that he retained memories from before the regression. Even after he had unexpectedly named her as his squire, it seemed she hadn't realized.
A sudden wave of relief washed over the tension he had felt at the thought of her disappearing. Without realizing it, Yurien smiled faintly. Then, her reaction turned strange. She looked at him with wavering eyes before hurriedly averting her gaze. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
He wondered why she was acting like this before remembering he had seen similar behavior before. He wasn't one to smile often, but on the rare occasions he did, women usually reacted this way. Or sometimes, they would openly admire him with sparkling eyes. There had even been a few men who had reacted similarly.
Having received countless praises, he was well aware that his appearance was exceptional. Even so, Yurien had never paid much attention to his own looks. It was merely another factor that drew unwanted attention—something that could provoke the Emperor or the Second Prince.
But now, for the first time, he was glad that his appearance was striking. The thought that she might find him pleasing sent a thrill through him. In that buoyant mood, he spoke.
"You should know who I am. Haven't you seen me before?"
"Huh?"
Echinacea's voice cracked as she echoed his words. Her complexion paled instantly. Her pupils shook. Yurien quickly added,
"Last summer. At the Birthday Banquet."
"......Ah."
She seemed to relax slightly. Yurien watched her with quiet bitterness. She didn't know—and she didn't want to know. Of course, that was only natural. That past had been so painful that she had erased it entirely.
If she wanted to pretend none of it had ever happened, he couldn't dare dredge it up. He had been the one to start the tragedy, and she had been the one to carve out a second life so it wouldn't end in tragedy. How could he possibly—
"At the Birthday Banquet... you saw me?"
"I didn't know who you were, but I remember seeing you. Did you not see me?"
"Ah, so it was the Captain! I'm sorry for not realizing sooner."
She played along as she wished. It wasn't a lie—he had indeed seen her at the birthday banquet. Even if this conversation skirted the edges, it was still their first exchange. To be facing her, speaking with her—it scarcely felt real.
"Captain, you say..."
The title grated on him. It made them seem like complete strangers. And in truth, they were strangers now, with no ties between them—not even the memories they shared could be acknowledged. Still...
"Call me by my name. I am Yurien."
He had no desire to use his imperial surname before her. Because he was of the royal bloodline—because the Emperor was his father and the Second Prince his brother—she had ended up wielding the Magic Sword. If only he had just been a man named Yurien, nothing more.
"But I'm just an officer cadet, Captain. How could I possibly—"
"An officer cadet. I see."
Echinacea swiftly refused. He had no rebuttal. If she wished to feign ignorance of their past, then in the end, they were nothing more than a knight captain and an officer cadet.
An insurmountable distance.
Realizing this, he felt profoundly grateful for having designated her as his squire. Lord was far better than Captain. Though in truth, he still wished she would call him by his name.
The sensation of that shiver when she had spoken his name in Langiosa's memories still lingered. That feeling might never fade. Lost in thought, Yurien stared at her before finally voicing the question that had gnawed at him all this time.
"Why did you enroll in the military academy?"
"Because I wanted to become a knight."
"Why did you want to become a knight?"
"...Because I like swords."
That's a lie.
Acting on impulse, he stepped forward and took her right hand. Echinacea didn't pull away, stiffening as he held it. He had meant to inspect the calluses, to press her further—but the moment he grasped her hand, his mind went blank.
It was soft. Small. As if it might shatter if he squeezed too hard. The hand of a well-bred lady. He had expected this, yet the realization still struck him like a physical blow.
When she had been tainted by the Magic Sword, this hand had been rough, filthy, blistered and torn in endless cycles. The hand he had seen in Langiosa's memories had been covered in wounds, its nails misshapen.
The thought of all the suffering this delicate hand must have endured before becoming like this rose bitterly in his chest. Yurien brushed his thumb over her palm. Beneath the smooth texture of her glove, he could feel the supple flesh.
This was her right hand—beneath that glove, the mark of the Magic Sword must lie.
Never again...
I hope you never have to ruin this hand again.
Neither her body nor her heart should ever know suffering a second time. So if the truth of his memories would only hurt her, then he would pretend. If she didn't want it, he wouldn't dredge up the past she had erased.
He would wait. Until the day she could accept it. Even if that wait lasted forever.
Still holding her hand, Yurien murmured,
"...Your hand is not the hand of someone who enjoys the sword."
Echinacea pulled free. He stared blankly as her fingers slipped from his grasp, resisting the urge to seize them again.
"Let me ask once more. Why do you wish to become a knight?"
This was what he truly wanted to know. Why had she come to Agenka? Why did she seek to join the Blue Sky Hawks?
Echinacea pressed her lips together. Hesitation flickered across her face before she finally spoke, slow and deliberate.
"Because I want to be happy."
Those simple words struck him with unbearable depth. Few could understand the weight behind them better than he.
The words she had spoken before the Divine Sword Kairos Giosa rose in his memory.
"I want to live."
"Right now, I might as well be dead."
"Because I can't possibly be happy."
"It might sound strange... but I mean it."
Her voice trembled faintly. He couldn't bring himself to ask more. He didn't even want to. Something surged within the choking tightness in his chest. Yurien suppressed it with difficulty and replied.
"I see. I understand."
If she didn't wish to be questioned, he wouldn't pry. As someone who shouldn't know anything, I have no right to hear the reason. If that's her decision, I'll support her discreetly without revealing anything. Amidst the piercing sensation of something tearing apart inside, Yurien made that resolution.
Echinacea seemed unwilling to continue the conversation and changed the subject.
"What brings you here?"
"You're the one who should answer that—what brings you here on your very first day of enrollment?"
"...I just ended up here while taking a walk."
It couldn't have been an ordinary stroll. She had come precisely to this central plaza's fountain. At any rate, it meant she never intended to leave Agenka from the start. Her goal was to become a knight, and since she believed he had no memories, she would remain in Agenka from now on as well.
Confirming this once more brought him relief, and another laugh escaped him. Ah, this time it was even more noticeable than before. As he smiled, she froze. Her pupils fixed on him. A vivid violet so clear he wanted to tear away the veil obscuring them. She was looking at him. His heart pounded wildly.
From now on, I should smile more often.
"I came for the same reason as you."
"You were out for a walk?"
"...Yes."
Echinacea gave him a doubtful look before asking,
"I heard... you nominated me as your squire. Why did you choose me?"
"Because you—"
Because I wanted you close. Because I wanted to grow closer to you. To protect your family. To shield you if you were ever swayed by bloodlust. Still lingering in the afterglow of his racing heart, he nearly blurted it out before swallowing his words. He couldn't say it. He couldn't let on that he remembered.
Then what should he say? What possible reason would Yurien de Harden Kyrie, who supposedly had no memories, have for suddenly selecting Echinacea Roaz as his squire? A reason she would accept.
At that moment, what came to mind was her talent. The sword that had made him taste defeat for the very first time.
"Cadet Echinacea. May I request a duel?"
"A... duel?"
"I wish to cross blades with you."
As he spoke, a long-forgotten desire surged forth. The regret he had felt when crossing swords with her—tainted by the Magic Sword—returned intact. Had they met differently, they could have sparred countless times, reaching even greater heights together. A wish he had thought impossible, yet she had made it come true. Now they had met differently. His heart began racing again, though for different reasons than before.
"I... I..."
But contrary to his exhilaration, Echinacea was gripped by terror. She took a step back as if wanting to flee. Seeing this, he came to his senses. She wasn't ready yet. Perhaps she never would be. There was no guarantee wounds would ever heal. He could wait. But he didn't want to let go.
Yurien spoke as casually as possible.
"Not now, but whenever you're ready."
Echinacea's exposed shoulders trembled. Not from cold—from fear. The realm of Zenith. Perhaps the strongest being in this world was afraid. Of what? Surely it was the past she feared he might possess.
To her, he was nothing but a trigger for nightmares. Even without knowing he was the beginning of those nightmares. A sharp blade pierced coldly through him, twisting in his gut. Yurien knew the name of that blade.