Chapter 87
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 87
Translation: godsn
"...That's all."
This should have been the expected outcome, yet she had gotten too carried away. Simply because she had grown accustomed to him, wielded the sword he gave her, smiled at him, and called his name—she must have unconsciously nurtured some expectations.
Though she didn't dislike him, the reality remained unchanged that he was an uncomfortable presence who reminded her of the past. How many times had Echinacea recalled those erased moments in his presence and been gripped by terror? For someone like that to claim he liked her—from her perspective, it could only be unsettling.
'Will he... start avoiding me again? He might even keep his distance.'
Just when she thought they'd grown slightly closer. She should have kept her mouth shut. The regret came too late. Yet even if the same situation arose again, he probably wouldn't be able to deny his feelings. They had already overflowed beyond any capacity to conceal them.
Yurien stepped toward the collapsed remains of the Black Giant. Still, since she hadn't outright rejected him, there was no need to give up yet. He had intended to keep trying anyway.
At the very least, Echinacea liked his face. She'd even grown somewhat accustomed to him these past few days. So it wasn't a completely hopeless situation. He didn't have to give up. He didn't want to give up. He couldn't give up.
'Then what should I do now?'
He didn't expect her to love him back. Of course he desperately wanted that, but it was impossible. He would have been content just being accepted. How could he make her accept him? Unconsciously, countless assumptions and plans flitted through his mind.
Yurien wasn't even fully aware of what he was thinking. Unlike his body, which carefully navigated around the flames, his mind was staggering unsteadily in all directions.
Because of this, he failed to notice the approach of another presence. Had there been hostility, perhaps—but this was a presence devoid of malice. So when his arm was grabbed, the shock was genuine.
"Your arm—you're injured. You haven't even stopped the bleeding."
Echinacea spoke those words, then tore a strip from her petticoat to bind his forearm. Yurien stared down at her in stunned silence. With his mind emptied, certain things became painfully clear—her trembling voice, her shaking hands, eyes glistening as if on the verge of tears. The worry she couldn't conceal, the sorrow she failed to hide in time. Why?
When he was injured, she had cried out his name in alarm. In her panic, she had even struck down the Black Giant that attacked him. Why had she risked exposure by entering the Node?
"Shai... I mean, the owner of Elgiosa and the villagers—I left them elsewhere. I'll go bring them."
Even after Echinacea left, Yurien couldn't lower his arm. He stared at the makeshift bandage, replaying the fleeting warmth that had brushed past him right after his confession.
"...Is there a possibility?"
He had thought even acceptance would be difficult. But if—if there was a possibility that she might not just accept him, but also give him her heart in return—something swelled uncontrollably within his chest until he could no longer contain it.
When he requested her company for this long-term mission, he had wanted to confirm whether there was any chance she might choose him. The result was clear. Whether the possibility existed or not, he already knew he was beyond saving—the only way to give up would be to discard the Holy Sword and forget everything.
But just now, he had seen a glimpse of possibility in her.
'Then by any means necessary—'
Yurien made his decision.
Act 8. Things That Move and Things That Aren't Unpleasant (1)
They emerged from the Node in the early dawn of June 1st. Yurien immediately sent word of the Saintess's existence via Mana Telegram. The villagers were taken away by the lord's guards after hearing the circumstances from the leader of the Azure Sky Knights.
Afterward, they returned with Shai to the large eastern city of Criola, where they rested for a day to recover from exhaustion. The next morning, they awoke to find the Chief Priest and three Azure Sky Knights waiting—having departed immediately upon receiving word and arrived by train.
Yurien had planned to entrust Shai to them and return to Agenka. Before giving the order, he called Echinacea aside.
The place they were staying at was a high-class inn with three separate bedrooms surrounding a central parlor. Eki stood nervously in front of Yurien's bedroom door. After escaping the Node, they had been swept up in a flurry of tasks before collapsing into sleep, so this was the first time they were properly seeing each other since his confession.
[I don't get it. She likes you, and you like her, right? So why are you hiding it?]
As she took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob, the sulky voice of the Magic Sword grumbled in her head. Eki kept her face blank and whispered back.
"Because of you. Shut up."
[Why me? You said liking someone makes them special. So what does it matter whether I'm your master or not? What does that have to do with love?]
"If only things were as simple as you are."
[Humans are way too complicated! Ugh, I don't get it at all. This is so frustrating!]
Over the past few days, Eki had come to fully understand what the city of Agenka, Dietrich, Baron, and the others meant to Yurien. She had destroyed everything—the home where he had grown up, the people more precious to him than blood relatives. In the end, he too had died by her hand. And Yurien carried the memory of that ruin.
'If he finds out that the demon who did all those things is me... whatever affection he feels will vanish in an instant.'
If anything, the more he cared, the greater the betrayal and hatred he would feel.
Even if he never learned the truth, as long as she herself remembered what she had done every time she looked at him, Eki couldn't bring herself to accept him. Setting aside all other circumstances, her own emotions alone made it impossible.
'So let's pretend it never happened.'
His confession, the feelings he had shown—she would treat them as if they had never existed and forget them. Yurien had said she didn't need to answer him anyway. She knew it was rude, but she had no other choice. Accepting his feelings and revealing her own would be the greater deception.
Eki let go of the doorknob and rubbed her eyes. A hot sting lingered, but thankfully no tears fell. She swallowed the storm raging in her chest, straightened her head, and knocked.
"Lord, it's Squire Echinacea."
"Come in."
Despite the permission, she hesitated before entering.
The fact that her Master status had been exposed, his confession, the engagement awaiting him upon their return, the unknown faction—whether Second Prince or Crown Prince—pulling strings with the Magic Sword, the uncertainty of how Yurien, despite their strained relationship, would react if she sought revenge against his own flesh and blood, the Magic Sword clinging to her right palm, the accumulating bloodlust, the Node, her family, Nicole, the people she'd met at the Military Academy...
Thoughts swirled chaotically. Even if she folded away her emotions and looked at the situation objectively, it was a mess. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Inside, Yurien sat at a tea table facing the door, reviewing what looked like documents. At the sound of the door opening, he lifted his head. The motion sent his loosely tied silver hair slipping over his shoulders and cascading down. The soft morning light from the right window touched him, fracturing into gold.
His long lashes fluttered, and within them, sky-blue eyes so transparent they seemed fragile fixed on her. The curve of his eyes softened. The corners of his lips deepened slightly. A small, natural smile rose to his previously expressionless face, and his gaze, now alight, settled on her.
Now that she had heard his confession, it was painfully obvious. The way he held her in his heart.
"Did you rest well? You must have been exhausted."
At the sound of his quiet, measured voice, Eki, who had been frozen stiff, startled slightly and stepped inside. With every footfall, her heart pounded—thud, thud—wildly out of rhythm.
This man had confessed to her. The man she loved. The light that had saved her. If she just reached out, she could have him. If she averted her eyes from the guilt, if she pretended not to know—he would be hers. Barely five minutes had passed since she resolved to treat it as if it never happened, to forget it. And yet, the moment she faced him, that resolve wavered dangerously.
Get a hold of yourself, Echinacea Roaz. Just because you turned back time doesn't mean those events never happened.
The nightmare from before resurfaced—Yurien's corpse, the words he had flung at her. Eki bit down on the inside of her cheek, invisible to the eye, and barely managed to reply.
"Yes, I rested comfortably. And you, Lord?"
"I did as well."
Yurien folded the documents he had been reading and set them aside. Eki lowered her gaze. He watched her, silent and still, as she avoided his eyes, then spoke again.
"Before returning to Agenka, I have business in the capital. You need not accompany me—return to Agenka ahead of me. The fatigue from battle must still linger."
"I'm fine, Lord. I will attend you."
"I've been meaning to point this out."
When Eki reflexively countered, the faintest crease appeared between Yurien's brows.
"You are undoubtedly a Master. But your body is still too weak to bear that title. Proper training would take at least a year, even if you rushed it. Your body is already being pushed to its limits—I ask that you do not overexert yourself."
[...Wow, he really knows his stuff, huh?]
The Magic Sword muttered, sounding almost impressed. For once, Eki agreed with it. No matter how much she had anticipated it, Yurien had accepted her status as a Master far too easily—and worse, he had accurately assessed her condition.
Dazed, she stared at him before protesting.
"I know my own body best, Lord."
"What you know is your limit. Most stop before they reach it. Do you wish to fall ill again?"
Yurien picked up the folded documents and rose from his seat. His tone was firm, brooking no further argument.
"That's an order. Return to Agenka."
"...Yes, Lord."
She couldn't refute it. The truth was, what she considered "this much should be fine" was actually the brink—her muscles barely withstanding the mana she wielded, on the verge of tearing apart. Pushing herself to the edge of injury inevitably brought backlash in the form of fever and pain.
Still, it was unsettling how well he knew. As if he had watched over her for a very long time. Hesitating, she spoke up as he slipped the documents into an envelope.
"Lord... I've been wondering for a while now. How do you know my condition so well? Is it that obvious?"
Does the Holy Sword have some detection technique? He had mentioned recognizing her talent at the Birthday Banquet—maybe it was something like that. Or perhaps he had some special method using mana.
Yurien let wax drip onto the envelope, pressed his seal into it, and answered slowly.
"You've never been obvious. It's simply because I hold you in my heart that I notice these things."
"......"
"Let me say it again—I will act as though I did not know you were a Master until you revealed it yourself. You may forget everything that happened inside the Node. Return to Agenka and rest properly."
He walked toward her, envelope in hand. Passing by her frozen form, he murmured,
"You need not worry about anything....Just think of yourself."
Only after he had left the room did Eki finally exhale the breath she'd been holding. Her head spun. Don't worry about anything? As if that were possible.