A World in Color
Right after the staring duel ended, I headed straight for Eilyn. She was staring silently at the arena from the VIP seats. Micaris was waiting for me right beside her.
"Well, I'll leave you two to talk." Perhaps because she knew Eilyn's circumstances, Micaris quietly stepped aside.
I asked Eilyn, "How do you feel?"
"..."
"Lady Rutenia?"
Eilyn remained silent, staring blankly ahead. What was she thinking about? To snap her out of it, I called her name. "Eilyn!"
"Huh? Oh..." Eilyn looked at me, her eyes widening.
"Mind if I sit?" I sat in the seat Micaris had just vacated, looking directly into Eilyn's eyes.
"I told you, didn't I? Today is what shapes tomorrow. Your fate has officially changed today."
"My... fate has changed?"
"Yes. Because life is finally starting to return to your eyes."
Eilyn looked up at the sky. The dazzling sunlight of a cloudless blue sky poured down. In the arena, crowds of people were filtering out. White petals fluttered in the wind. There was no black and white in those drifting petals. The world was painted with flowers of every hue, their colors filling the void that had lingered for so long. It was the moment Eilyn reclaimed her colors.
"How does the world look to you now?"
"Blue, sky blue, green, pink..." Eilyn listed the colors she saw, her breath hitching. But it wasn't just her breath. Something was spilling from her eyes. They weren't ordinary tears. If they were, why was she smiling? It was her loneliness. It was sorrow melting away into joy. It was the moment her charred, blackened heart was washed pure white. The loneliness that had pooled in her tear ducts with nowhere else to go was finally overflowing, and her tears refused to stop.
I could hear it—the echoing cry of Eilyn's heart. Gently grasping her slender hand, I spoke.
"Live your life looking at the light from now on. This world shines in so many different colors."
Eilyn's lips parted slightly as she stared at me.
"Live your own life, untouched by anyone else's influence."
"My own... life?"
"...Just as a raging river must start with a single drop of water, your life is beginning anew with a single speck of light. You've suffered enough."
Squeezing her hand, I continued, "Lady Rutenia, will you join my party now?"
Eilyn nodded, gazing out contentedly at a world that was no longer monochrome, but vibrant and full of color.
"Call me Eilyn..."
"Alright." Smiling warmly, I gently pulled her up by her hand. "Let's go. Let's go see all the light this world has to offer."
After this duel, Shadys wouldn't be able to interfere with me anymore. For nobles, a duel was a matter of absolute pride.
At that moment, her heart throbbed. She had just witnessed the rebirth of her life's meaning, which she had thought was lost forever.
I threw away my life. I threw away myself. I gave up on being human. I became a doll. I expected nothing. Because expecting anything only ever brought disappointment.
But... at least this man was different. He didn't turn my tiny, fragile hope into disappointment. He reclaimed the life that even I had abandoned. Yes, this man is my savior.
'He's my prince...' Eilyn's mind was now a field of blooming flowers.
I formally introduced Eilyn to everyone. "This is Lady Eilyn, daughter of Marquis Rutenia. Her specialty is divine magic..."
"We know that already. So, is she joining the party?"
"Yes, she is."
Lonia smiled brightly. "That's wonderful. We didn't have anyone specializing in divine magic for our Contamination purification practical..."
"Where on earth did you find such a cute young lady?"
"I-I'm Eilyn Rutenia. It's a pleasure to meet you..." Eilyn greeted them shyly.
"I'm Micaris Merian. You know me, right?"
"I'm Lonia Cardelia. It's an honor to be in a party with you."
"Linet Estupina. Nice to meet you."
Why had I gathered them all like this? I figured it would be best for Eilyn to get close to them, so I had set up a little plan: a girls' night. That was the whole reason I introduced her here.
"I'll leave you ladies to chat. Having a man around will only get in the way of your conversation."
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It's about time we established some order anyway," Micaris said, sipping her tea.
"You don't really have to go that far..."
"We haven't seen you in a while, and you're leaving already?" Lonia and Linet looked at me with disappointment.
Just as I was about to excuse myself with a smile, Micaris called out to me. "Oh, right. A letter arrived for you from the Merian Marquisate. You should head back to your dormitory."
"From the Marquisate? I wonder what it is..."
"It's about that woman you brought back. It's related to her, so handle it yourself."
Is it about Sojeon? Did she make some kind of mistake?
"Then I'll head over right away. Enjoy your chat, ladies."
A letter regarding Sojeon... I hurried back to my room.
...When I arrived at the dormitory, Sojeon was waiting for me.
"I have been waiting for you, Viscount."
"What is going on?"
Sojeon bowed. "As of today, I have been assigned as your exclusive maid."
"...Weren't you supposed to be assigned a separate duty by the family?"
"The Marquis knew that you did not have an exclusive maid, so he sent me to you."
An exclusive maid. I didn't really need one, but if they were giving me one, I might as well accept.
"I see. I look forward to working with you. Actually, let's drop the formalities. I'll be in your care, Sojeon."
"I will do my utmost to be of assistance to you, Viscount," Sojeon said, bowing once more.
"By the way, I heard you were a princess from the East. Are you really okay doing this kind of work?"
"Where else would I have to go?"
True enough. That was why I brought her here in the first place... "If you ask me, I could help you return to your homeland."
"..." Sojeon remained silent. Did she have no intention of returning? I wondered why.
"...If you want to keep it a secret, I won't pry any further."
What was Sojeon's past? Why had she traveled all the way to the Western Continent, and why had she ended up as a slave in the Black Market? There were so many questions, but... I offered her my hand.
"I don't need much help. I'm used to living alone. But I don't have a separate room for a maid, so I'm not sure what we should do..."
"The Marquis has already taken care of that. You will be moving to a different dormitory soon."
"I see." Well, it would be strange for someone hailed as Sword Saint Johannes to keep living in the commoner dorms. Marquis Dinlight certainly worked fast.
"But did you really finish all your maid training in such a short time?"
"...There were no major issues." Sojeon's expression didn't change in the slightest. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. When I looked at her with my Eye of Clairvoyance, there seemed to be a strange magical energy within her that I didn't recognize... Was it some kind of Eastern power?
I continued to question her. "Come to think of it, I heard there's a mysterious kind of magic in the East. Do you know how to use it, Sojeon?"
"...I do."
"Could you show me sometime? I've always been interested in Eastern magic, but unfortunately, there's never been a way to study it directly."
"Of course. If it is of use to you, Viscount..."
She kept calling me "Viscount." It felt a bit too stiff and formal, especially since we weren't around other nobles.
"Could you call me by my name instead of 'Viscount'? It feels a bit too formal."
"...If that is what you wish."
"Yeah, that's better." I guess I was getting used to my noble status now. Speaking like this felt a bit surreal.
"I have some things to think about now. Let me know if you need anything."
"Yes. Then I shall begin my duties immediately." Sojeon immediately set to work, cleaning my room, organizing my clothes, and preparing tea.
'It's like she already knew exactly what to do...' Well, this was Sojeon's job now, so I decided to leave her to it.
Now, I had to prepare. For the Contamination purification practical. I would be exempt from the comprehensive ability evaluation because of my Sword Saint status, and the written exams wouldn't be an issue. After all, cramming was the essence of test-taking. In other words, I only needed to prepare for the purification practical.
The Contamination purification practical. It was one of the tasks involved in reclaiming territories consumed by Contamination, and academy students began this practical in their second year. Of course, they wouldn't be sent anywhere truly dangerous. However, Contamination wasn't a major focus in the original novel. This meant I had to move based on the vague bits of information I could recall.
Currently, I was a 7-Star Sword Saint and a dark mage who used seven stars as mana tanks. Through training, I was able to use magic and Aura freely. Micaris and Lonia would soon reach the level of 5-Circle mages. Micaris, in particular, was highly talented, so she would surely climb even higher.
'Eilyn is currently at the 3-Circle level...' Given her family situation, she probably hadn't been able to properly develop her abilities. Even in the original novel, her level hadn't been particularly high. Despite that, the reason I chose her was her protagonist-level divine talent. It had been clear when I looked at her with my Eye of Clairvoyance. She would undoubtedly be of great help to us.
'And she's pretty, too.' ...No ulterior motives here. Probably.
"..." My mind was getting cluttered with stray thoughts. Was it because of the information only I possessed? The weight of it brought a massive sense of responsibility. I just wanted to focus on the villainesses, but to do that, I had to save the world. How cruel.
'Maybe I should head to the training grounds to clear my head.'
When I arrived at the training grounds, I saw Lutera swinging his sword all by himself.
"It's been a while, Lord Lutera."
"Well, look who it is! If it isn't Hound!" Lutera's face lit up. Why did this guy like me so much? He was a rather suspicious young master.
"Though I'm Viscount Johannes now."
"I heard my family made you an offer, but you turned it down?"
"I am to be the son-in-law of the Merian Marquisate, after all."
"Right, you and Lady Merian have always been exceptionally close." Lutera continued to swing his sword with a bitter expression. What, was he feeling regretful? Personally, I wasn't a fan of regretful male leads... 'Though some readers do love them.'
I made a suggestion to Lutera. "Would you like to have a quick spar? It's been a while."
"A spar? I'd love to. I'd like to learn a thing or two from a newly minted Sword Saint."
...After a light spar with Lutera, we sat down to talk.
"How have you been lately? You seemed to have a lot on your mind last time."
"First of all, I've decided to focus on my own path."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means I've given up on Seri Verdia."
What on earth was he talking about? The male lead was giving up on the female lead? Was this all my fault in the end...?
"That is... unfortunate news..."
"It was my choice, after all."
"Do you have a reason?"
"Just... I started to feel like something was off. Falling head over heels for her from our very first meeting and breaking off my engagement in such a public setting... wasn't that incredibly reckless of me? I mean, I know love can make people do crazy things, but still."
"..."
Lutera had realized something. What could it be? There was definitely something strange about Seri Verdia. Was she really using some kind of charm magic? There had been no mention of such a thing in the original novel, which was written from her perspective...
'Could it be a curse?' But when I looked with my Eye of Clairvoyance, I couldn't see anything. 'The mysteries just keep piling up.'
Just then, Lutera stood up first. "I've stayed too long. I should go get some rest."
"Have a good rest, Lord Lutera."
"Right, Hound. And just so you know, I don't hold any ill will toward you."
Out of nowhere? "Ah... right."
Lutera left the training grounds without looking back.
'Lutera seems to have been deep in thought lately...' Well, that was for him to figure out. I just needed to prepare for the Contamination purification practical.
'First, maybe we should all practice working together tomorrow.'