Chapter 95
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 95
Translation: godsn
"Each of us builds our own impenetrable wall, and that is how we become knights."
Teresa slowly set down her quill. Instead of the quill, she pointed at Echinacea with a sharpness so dense and clear it seemed to form a tangible edge. Eki barely managed to suppress the mana that instinctively tried to react.
"Franc Almari's secret technique isn't about mastering the strongest skill—it's a rite of passage that guides each person to develop swordsmanship suited to themselves. It's a technique refined to deliver the most efficient and impactful defense possible for those beginning to learn Franc Almari's defensive arts. How on earth did you recognize it? Who taught you?"
[How did I know? It was obvious just by looking. To my master, this is nothing special. Hehe.]
The magic sword bragged smugly. Eki felt slightly wronged by this unexpected situation. It was true she'd recognized it more easily because she'd had the experience of killing Teresa—who could be considered the perfected version of Franc Almari—but ultimately, she'd simply realized it by observing the defensive stance. She had nothing to say in response.
"Just as Knight Teresa said, I have no connection to Franc Almari. I just... saw it. That's why I attacked that way."
"You 'just saw it.' The moment you observed Franc Almari's defensive stance? Am I supposed to believe that?"
"It's the truth."
Teresa let out a disbelieving laugh as if astonished. Then, pressing her lips tightly together, she glared at Eki. An intangible pressure bore down on her. Eki calmly met that gaze without flinching.
After a long silence, Teresa was the first to look away. The oppressive energy dissipated like a fading mist.
"You don't seem to be lying. Though, if you truly understood the meaning behind that technique, you wouldn't have advised Mihail to learn it and try it against me."
"Thank you for believing me."
"I'm not fully convinced yet. Still..."
Teresa shrugged, then placed a numbered slip of paper on the open page of the sample book before continuing.
"...Thanks to you, that child has a clearer idea of how to refine his swordsmanship. For that, I'm grateful. I'll repay this favor someday."
"No, there's no need to—"
Eki laughed awkwardly, her eyes flickering toward the sample book and numbered slip that had been bothering her. Then she nearly choked.
'Wh-what is that? Surely Knight Teresa didn't pick that to wear...?!'
"...Um, Knight Teresa. Was that what you wanted to talk to me about? Why did you come to the dressmaker's?"
"I wasn't here to find you... I came to order a dress because I've been assigned as the Saintess's chaperone for the Sun Festival banquet. I just happened to see you and called you over. I was planning to meet you after placing the dress order anyway."
Teresa frowned as if she had a headache. The Saintess's chaperone? Shai's chaperone was Teresa? Eki's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sh— I mean, you've become the Saintess's chaperone?"
"Come to think of it, I heard that girl follows you around quite well. The Great Temple should have just assigned you as her chaperone instead of me... Ah, but I suppose you're too young for the role."
Teresa let out a deep sigh. Eki could roughly guess how this had happened.
The Saintess's chaperone. They couldn't choose just anyone, nor could they assign a priestess to the role, so the Azure Sky Knights must have selected from their highest-ranking female members. And who better than Teresa von Franc Almari—a Giosa Owner and noblewoman from the southern Antuar Kingdom?
"Even before age, my status is too low to be the Saintess's chaperone. I'm just a squire, after all."
Eki replied vaguely while rolling her eyes back to the open sample book page. The number written on the slip—21. Dress No. 21 in the sample book was an adorable style, covered in frills with dramatically puffed shoulders.
"Um... Dame Teresa."
"Hmm?"
"That... the dress you're choosing, is it for you to wear?"
"It is."
Tilting her head, Teresa examined the paper with a grave expression before cautiously asking,
"...Does it not suit me?"
The words Don't you already know? rose to the tip of Eki's tongue. Putting aside that the cutesy style didn't match Teresa at all, she could vividly picture how absurd Teresa—who had rather broad shoulders—would look drowning in puffed sleeves and cascading frills. Worse yet, the color was a glaring canary yellow that absolutely didn't suit Teresa. This was even more disastrous than what Fatima had picked earlier.
No. Absolutely not. Good heavens, they're all sword-obsessed idiots...
"It's a lovely dress, but I think it doesn't quite match Dame Teresa's aura."
"Then this one?"
Eki, who had been trying to phrase her rejection as gently as possible, nearly gasped when Teresa flipped to another page. A floral-print dress with frills piled high around the neck and a massive ribbon. The dress itself was adorable. The problem was the person who'd be wearing it.
"That one is also a bit..."
As Eki shook her head, Teresa showed her another. The moment Eki saw it, she could hold back no longer.
"That one is absolutely out of the question!"
Her voice rose involuntarily. Teresa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Eki coughed awkwardly and lowered her voice.
"Ahem, Dame Teresa. How have you dressed for banquets until now?"
"My uniform."
"...Don't you have a lady's maid? Knights are perfectly allowed personal attendants."
"The dormitory has servants, but I never saw the need to employ a personal maid."
"...You must have worn dresses before coming to Agenka?"
"As a child, but... once I seriously took up the sword, rarely."
"Have you ever attended social gatherings? Tea parties, balls..."
"Too busy training."
"Um, just to be sure... you do know how to dance, right?"
"The gentleman's steps, at least."
Alice Winterbell. No, even comparing her to Alice was an insult. At least Alice had mentioned attending tea parties and balls before coming to Agenka. She'd even learned the ladies' dance steps.
Eki felt a headache coming on. What in the world is the Great Temple thinking? First, they sent a clueless priest to handle a child like Shai, and now they made a female knight—who only knew men's dance steps—her chaperone. True, they were all high-ranking elites, so the appointments showed some consideration, but the sheer lack of sensibility was astonishingly consistent.
While Eki massaged her temples, Teresa was studying her intently. Teresa had heard much about Echinacea Roaz, the cadet who wore dresses around the military academy. She'd seen her during monster subjugations and occasionally around the knight order.
Regarding Echinacea, while some cadets gossiped about "a cadet in dresses," none claimed it looked bad on her. To Teresa's eyes, Echinacea was radiantly beautiful every time she saw her.
The female knights around Teresa were uniformly weak when it came to dresses or high society. Though women generally had higher mana affinity than men, overcoming physical disadvantages to become a Blue Sky Knight required total devotion to swordsmanship—perhaps this was the natural outcome. Of course, the subtly enforced atmosphere shared some blame. The knights' world was structured around male standards.
Thus, Teresa had no one to consult about such matters. So she decided to trust Echinacea's judgment.
"Cadet Echinacea, could you recommend a dress that would suit me? If you help, I'll—"
"I'll do it. No, please let me."
Eki answered instantly. She absolutely did not want to see Teresa appear as Shai's chaperone in those dresses. Now that she thought of it, she grew intensely anxious about how Shai's own dress was coming along. During the day's rites, she'd be in holy vestments, but the banquet would include a ball—she'd need a proper gown.
'I'll have to check with the priest about this later...'
"Aside from the dress, I'll also teach you the female steps for a few dances."
"There's no need to go that far—"
"It's a ball, isn't it? You don't intend to dance even once?"
"I know the male steps."
"Male steps in a dress would look terribly mismatched. It's simple—someone of your caliber, Dame Teresa, could master them in under an hour."
Eki pulled the sample book toward herself as she added:
"Wearing a dress and dancing won't make you any less of a knight. Becoming a knight doesn't mean turning into a man, either. There's no need to force yourself if you dislike it, but if you don't, why not dress up and enjoy yourself? I think you should."
Teresa stared at Eki with slightly dazed eyes. Without meeting her gaze, Eki flipped through the sample book, picking out dress styles that would suit her.
"Dressing beautifully and dancing to music—I happen to love it. How about you, Dame Teresa?"
"...I'm not sure. If pressed, I suppose I don't dislike it."
"Then you should enjoy it. It's a rare opportunity, isn't it? Balls exist to be enjoyed."
Eki smiled faintly and slid the sample book back toward Teresa along with a checklist of selected numbers. Teresa studied Eki as if seeing something unfamiliar, then returned a faint smile of her own.
"Very well. Since it's come to this, perhaps I should try enjoying it for once."
Act 8. Things That Move and Things You Don't Mind (2)
After helping Teresa order her dress, scheduling dance lessons, advising Fatima and Alice on shoes and accessories, and purchasing a few items for herself, Eki returned to find the sun already set and evening well underway.
Alice, completely exhausted, announced she would bathe first and disappeared into the bathroom, but Eki didn't feel particularly tired. After indulging in things she loved for the first time in ages, she was left with nothing but pleasant exhaustion.
[I didn't find any of that fun. You actually enjoy that stuff?]
"It's pretty. Just looking at it is fun. Buying it is even more fun."
Humming to herself, Eki neatly put away her purchases. The thought that the dress she bought today would arrive in just a few days after alterations made her even happier. As she cheerfully closed her jewelry box, a knock sounded at the door.
"Cadet Echinacea Roaz of Room 101, a telegram for you."
"Ah, thank you."
A maid from the dormitory handed her the mana telegram and withdrew. It was from home—likely a reply to the one she had sent days earlier. Skimming the contents with little thought, Eki's expression abruptly darkened.
"Eki, the bath is—... Is something wrong?"
Alice emerged, drying her damp hair, and frowned at the look on Eki's face. Pale, Eki answered quietly.
"Since it's the festival season, my younger brother is coming to Agenka. To check on how I'm doing, apparently."
"Well, many people visit specifically for the Sun Festival of Agenka. I've heard this is when most cadets' families come."
"Is your family coming too?"
"My brother and father are too busy, but my mother is bringing my younger sister."
"Oh, that's wonderful! I'd love to meet your sister!"
"I'm also curious about your brother. But... are you on bad terms? You don't look well."
"No, we get along. I'll introduce you when he arrives."
Turning away from Alice, Eki stared down at the paper with a shadowed expression. She reread the final message from her parents appended to the telegram:
—Lancelid will be accompanied by Bernst.