Part 1
“As the representative of all the retainers present here, I hereby wish Her Majesty, Shelfa Iras Sunkwoll, a happy new year.”
Ralphus’, the leader of all the retainers present, wandering voice reached the ears of everyone who had gathered here today.
There were in the war council chamber, deep within the depths of Galfort Castle.
All of the prominent military and civil officials had gathered here this morning to greet the new year.
After all, it was a new year. While the Murgenian Calendar, which was prevalent throughout the continent, was another story, today was the start of the “Second Year of Queen Shelfa’s Reign” according to the Sunkwoll Calendar.
That being said, Shelfa had only succeeded the throne a mere twenty days prior, making this still a part of the first full year of her rule, as the first calendar year of her reign had been rather brief.
Today felt more like the real start of things, both from the timing of things and from how she felt about it.
——And while the aforementioned probably wasn’t the reason why…
Ralphus, who was standing at the very forefront of the others, continued as he raised his voice a notch louder,
“I pray that the gods of war and wealth protect you this year, Your Majesty. And I pray that you will lead us in good health and in accordance to your will.”
Ralphus bent his knee after Shelfa had responded accordingly to his earnest greetings. Everyone else standing behind the high general followed suit after the highest ranked retainer present and also knelt as one. Next, they would remain waiting until the Queen next spoke.
Silence rang throughout the room and seconds, dozens of seconds, passed.
No one spoke a word.
The retainers began to grow dubious of the silence and quietly raised their heads——only to find that Shelfa, who was seated on a chair that had been installed on the raised platform, was staring absent~mindedly in a completely different direction.
……She looked gloomy.
Her ever-radiant beauty had lost some of its light.
Well, she was still beautiful enough that people would gather and pay good money just to see her, but her appearance now had nothing on how she usually looked.
Moreover, Shelfa, the person in question, sighed like she was deathly ill and knitted the gentle curves of her eyebrows.
She even had a single, dainty, porcelain-white hand pressing down at her chest on the soft bulge of her dress.
Even Ralphus felt a chill run down his back. It was because he knew where his liege’s thoughts were.
He looked up urgently at the platform.
Thankfully, she finally noticed.
Shelfa blinked her sapphire eyes a few times before finally replying,
“thank you, everyone, for gathering here so early in the morning. It is I who must be guided by you. So please, take care of me.”
Shelfa quickly lowered her head from her seat despite the fact that she was a monarch and was seated on an elevated platform. Her attitude hadn’t changed in the slightest even after taking the throne.
And, of course, her feelings for Rain had only grown stronger with no sign of ever fading away.
Which was why Shelfa could not bear the fact that Rain was currently not present in the castle——no, that he was not in the capital city, Lydia.
——As for how things ended up that way…
Shelfa was currently in the middle of a conference to determine her policy as a queen.
But there was a problem with the contents of her policies.
Sunkwoll had lost a good number of talented personnel after the war with Zarmine. When she decided upon important policies, she’d also need to determine who would officiate them—in which laid the problem.
There were the issues concerning the matter of public order, and the issue of determining who would give orders to other government officials on how to amend taxes and oversee the process……these were typically a civil official’s duties, but even the military officials were busy with such work at the moment.
It was only natural that they were wracking their brains trying to select personnel for these jobs——it would have all been fine and well if these “things” had all been simple tasks, or if they could have been fully accomplished from within the castle.
But it needn’t be said that not everything could be accomplished within the castle walls. There were times when they would need to leave the castle for their duties, be they civil or military officials.
And, as could largely be expected, Shelfa was perpetually opposed to the idea of Rain being away from the castle (Galfort Castle, that is) for long stretches of time.
To sum it up quickly, she always thought, ‘Please don’t go anywhere unless I can accompany you, Rain,” at all times.
Of course, she never came out and blatantly said anything selfish like, “I want Rain to stay here with me or else!” She never insisted that far, but——
For example, the following conversation had played out just the other day.
Ralphus had offered her the following report at the round table.
“Regarding the maintenance of public order in the areas surrounding the capital, Your Majesty. I believe it would be best for a high-ranked military official to patrol the area with his unit.”
“Was this not the case before?”
“The Hundred Knights Corp used to make periodic rounds——. However, the current situation being what it is. I would advise against leaving everything to them, as we still need to supervise the neighborhood garrison and the knights at the fort as well. I believe either Rain or myself would have to go, and it would take at least ten days of our time.”
Then, Rain had nonchalantly said,
“hm~m. Then I guess I’ll——”
But Shelfa had hastily cut him off.
“No! There are things I’d like to ask you to do within the castle, Rain!”
……The fact that she absolutely didn’t want Rain to be gone for ten days was apparent on her face. Though, everything had proceeded smoothly at the time because Ralphuse had smiled and volunteered to go himself.
——As in the aforementioned incident, it was difficult to say that Shelfa was impartial and sensible when it came to “matters concerning Rain”, though she was a fair and wise ruler otherwise.
Though, it certainly wasn’t a great thing that Rain had to be away from Galfort for a long while this time around.
Nothing big had happened since the assassins had failed, but anyone could see that they still couldn’t take it easy on that front just yet. The enemy organization still existed, after all. And so, Rain had planned to station himself permanently by his liege’s side even if Shelfa didn’t go out of her way to ask him to.
But, to Shelfa’s great shock, Rain was finally forced to leave the capital for unavoidable reasons.
“So much work has piled up at my castle, Cortecreas Castle, that I have no choice but to go back as its liege lord.”
——It had been Rain himself who had said this.
Incidentally, the man had also added, “I’m definitely not going back just to slack off or anything, ‘kay?”
Shelfa had wasted no time proposing, “I’ll go with you, in that case,” as if it was the most natural thing in the world……but her hopes were quickly dashed.
Of all the things, it was apparently because, “That would be bad, considering your status!”
Shelfa didn’t care the slightest about what other people thought or what misunderstandings they might make (though it wouldn’t have been a misunderstanding at all), but there were apparently a lot of politics at play that she didn’t understand.
And so, Rain had departed from the capital after a long, one-sided lamentation had been carried out……it was a bit of an exaggeration to say he had departed, but that was how Shelfa felt about the matter.
It had been sad and painful.
Even if he would return in just ten days.
Incidentally, the day that Ralphus had spearheaded the new year’s greetings was Rain’s third day of absence.
~~~~~~*~~
Shelfa, who was already reaching her psychological limits by the new year’s greetings, had grown even more depressed by the time that Ralphus came to check in on her the next day.
She was sitting on a rocking chair and staring list~lissly out the window.
Ralphus gently closed the door behind him and worriedly called out to her extremely dejected profile.
“……Your ladies-in-waiting tell me you didn’t eat lunch today.”
“I’m sorry, I just don’t have an appetite. I did try to eat……but everything only tasted like sand for some reason,”
……she said with a small sigh.
She sounded so apologetic that Ralphus knew that she was being honest about trying.
Then, she turned her gaze back out the window. This was the highest floor of the castle, so she could see far into the distance from where she was.
In other words, she’d be the first one to know when Rain returned……though there was no way that he could possibly be back this soon.
It was as if she was a maiden who had been forcefully separated from her dear lover without being able to see him for a decade.
Ralphus groaned to himself.
It had only been four days since Rain had left Galfort.
And yet, Shelfa’s shoulders were drooping in gloom and she hadn’t even changed out of her nightclothes yet.
He was sure of his, as he could see the light fabric of her negligee peeking out from the collar of the thick gown she was wearing over it. His liege was about ten times more cleanly than the average person, so this was nearly unthinkable.
Ralphus cleared his throat and looked away before making a painful effort to improve Shelfa’s spirits.
“The preliminaries for the tournament will begin tomorrow in the amphitheater. Would Your Majesty like to spectate?”
“……I thought I wasn’t supposed to leave the barrier here at Galfort?”
By the by, the barrier referred to the magical barrier that Rain had put up after the incident with the assassination guild the other day.
Ralphus didn’t know much about what kind of barrier it was, but he had no doubts about its efficacy.
And so, he nodded as if to say that he understood.
“That may be the case, but Rain specifically said to please attend that event as a special exception. I’ll be meticulous about the details of your guard, so how about it?”
“Rain said that?”
She finally looked back at him again.
Shelfa looked a little sulky, for once.
“But……I don’t really feel like spectating if Rain won’t participate in person. There’ll be many, many people present, won’t there? I’d……rather not.”
It was something that Shelfa, who hated crowds, would say. She probably wanted to add——that she would endure it, if only Rain were here.
Well, it was certainly true that Rain had not declared his intent to participate.
He was the person who had initially come up with the idea for the tournament——in other words, the “The tournament to follow after Chandrys’ example and headhunt useful people without holding anything back”, and yet he did not plan to participate in it.
As far as Ralphus recalled, when he had asked Rain about participating, the man had said, with an extremely serious look on his face,
“It won’t be any fun if I compete.”
……That aside, the aforementioned tournament’s long name was modified boringly to a “martial arts tournament (sponsored by the royal family)”.
Long story short, it was a large-scale event involving mock matches and they had already spread information about its rules.
It was a part of Sunkwoll’s proactive measures to headhunt capable personnel.
However, Shelfa, the most important person in the midst of all this, had lost all interest in it as soon as she had discovered that Rain would not be competing.
“In, in that case, how about sending Rain a letter? I can have someone deliver it to him, if you’d like.”
“That’s——”
Shelfa lowered her long lashes. She continued,
“I asked Mr. Gunther to deliver Rain a letter, and I spent the morning writing it. ……I gave him my letter when he visited me earlier.”
I was wondering why you hadn’t left your room—you were writing a letter all morning?!!
While he didn’t say this out loud, Ralphus was rendered momentarily speechless after having been beaten to the punch.
Then, Shelfa continued,
“um……”
“Y, yes?”
“Do you think the letter will really make its way to Rain’s hands?”
There was no way Ralphus could actually answer that.
“……It’s Gunther we’re talking about, so I’m sure that he has a way of ensuring that it’ll happen.”
Then, Ralphus noticed that a single sword had been set against the wall near the window.
No……the scabbard is somewhat curved——is it a katana?
He confirmed that it was after studying it for a bit.
It was none other than a weapon known as a katana that was covered in a pure white scabbard.
“Was that katana a gift, Your Majesty?”
Shelfa’s face lit up when he asked.
She picked up the katana and held it as though it was precious to her.
“Yes. Rain gave it to me!”
Her cheeks flushed red as she told him since it was something personal. Ralphus figured she must’ve been very happy for it.
“Did he now? ——May I take a look at it?”
“Please do!”
He stared hard at the katana that she had happily handed to him.
Both the sheathe and hilt were white. It had weight to it, but it was lighter than it appeared. But weight aside, the katana was gorgeous, as befitting of Shelfa.
Ralphus swiftly drew the blade.
He voiced his surprise out loud the very moment he did.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt
A bluish light filled the blade just as it began to emit the characteristic buzzing of a magic sword.
Its bright radiance was more than enough to let him imagine how powerful the person who imbued the katana with magic was, and Ralphus’ senses as a warrior picked up an immense wave of power from it.
A rune master, who could freely employ magic, would have probably grown dizzy just by looking at the bluish aura.
Ralphus stared at the blade, mesmerized, for a moment before drawing his own sword, “Justice”, which he had ready by his waist (he had just finished making rounds within the castle).
He gently touched Justice against the blade with the vibrant blue aura writhing across it. As usual, a small spark and crackle resulted.
And, while this always happened when two magic swords touched, he felt a faint sense of resistance from both his palms——it was so faint that it was hardly there. It could also be called a reaction.
He felt a stronger reaction from Justice in his right hand. In other words, it was struggling against the repellent force from even gently touching against the katana. Justice was being pushed back.
This was a simple matter of (magical) power, the difference in the abilities of the rune maters that had imbued the blades with magic. The difference in the rune masters’ relative qualities were being made known in this stark display of proof. It was quite the surprising outcome, considering that Justice had once been a famous sword owned by King Leygur himself.
Ralphus was honestly impressed, and said as much as he returned each blade to its respective sheath.
“It’s an impressively sharp sword. Magic swords are rare to begin with, but even I can tell how strong the magic imbued within this katana is. This blade must surely be famous across the world……”
Ralphus suddenly broke out into a smile as he spoke.
He had understood when Shelfa had begun squirming as if she wanted to tell him something.
And so, he asked on purpose though he already knew the answer.
“Did Rain imbue this blade with magic?”
“Yes! Rain charged it with magic just for me.”
I was so very, very happy!
——It was easy to tell what she was thinking just by seeing the smile bursting from her face.
“Does it have an epitaph?”
“It didn’t seem to have on in particular, so I named it “Rain (unauthorized by the actual person)”.”
She held the katana dearly to her chest when he returned it to her.
She was acting as though she had been given a doll instead of a blade, but Shelfa would have been happy with anything as long as Rain had given it to her, be it a doll or a katana.
“It’s apparently ten years too early for me to use something like this, but he said that “a ruler of a kingdom should at least have a weapon like this” when he gave it to me.”
“He said something like that, did he?”
Normally, one wouldn’t tell their liege, “It’s ten years too early for you to use this, but it’s yours anyway.”
Ralphus felt it was truly something the man would say.
“He also said that he planned to “make easy money off of forging and selling magic swords” if the “knight business didn’t work out” for him.”
Shelfa told Ralphus as she beamed.
“Hmmm…… If it’s Rain, he could certainly make an easy living off of this and more if he wanted to. After all, even the katana he gave you could probably buy two or three entire towns with room to spare.”
“No! I’d be troubled if he actually did that. It only means that he’s skilled enough to do it,”
Shelfa corrected herself in a hurry.
Ralphus was sure that she had likely given Rain the same kind of reminder as well.
Shelfa lowered her eyelids in embarrassment as Ralphus smiled to show that he already knew. Then, she pulled the katana half out of its sheath. She had probably acted without really thinking about it, but she stared deeply into the magic billowing from the blade as though something had come to mind.
She let out a soft sigh with a look that suggested that she had just realized something on her face.
“I can feel Rain when I look at this……”
Ralphus groaned internally when he heard her whisper.
It felt like Shelfa would either be gazing out the window or looking at her katana for the entire duration of Rain’s absence until his return.
But, in any case, he had to have her attend a few interviews in the afternoon.
Ralphus continued to wait for the right timing to bring it up.
~~*~~*~~*~~
“This the reception table for the martial arts tournament?”
Selphie nonchalantly looked up at the bold and cheerful voice and accidentally let slip an “ugh.”
She instinctively drew back in alarm despite being seated.
The man was peering down at Selphie while looming over the temporary table set up at the entrance to the amphitheater for registration and ticket selling purposes where Selphie and Yuuri had been sitting and laughing together. Selphie hadn’t noticed the man approach because she had been too absorbed in conversation……but the young man in the coat was still deserving of her blank amazement regardless.
He had a large frame and a youthful face full of cheer that reminded Selphie of a gang leader of a group of kids. His black eyes, which seemed to have no worries at all, were overwhelmingly flowing with masculinity. She could feel an overabundance of vigor just by looking at them.
Which was fine and all, but——
In any case, she didn’t quite know how she felt about the white bandana wrapped around his head.
A voice rang out from behind the large man as Selphie thought this.
She hadn’t seen the voice’s owner because he was hidden from view.
“C’mon, you’re at it again, Chief. You shouldn’t scare girls like that,”
the voice’s owner said in admonishment before lightly stepping forward to stand next to the large man.
He was an effeminate boy who looked so delicate that Selphie could hardly believe he was armed and he was smiling disarmingly while showing off his white teeth.
“Sorry, miss. This guy here’s pretty wild, crude, and pointlessly loud. I’m sure you were surprised when he came all up in your face like that.”
“What ‘ja say?! Damn you, stop talkin’ about people like they’re trash or somethin’!”
The large man spat out a decent volume of spit as he spoke.
He didn’t actually look that angry —this was probably a common occurrence between the two— but his natural voice still blared as it echoed off the walls.
It was loud enough that squad leader Miran, who was on guard duty nearby, started walking over.
Selphie told him, It’s nothing~, with her eyes and turned him away before smiling politely at her guests——but Yuri butted in before she could say anything.
“Hey, you don’t have to yell so loud when we’re right here, okay? Are you both here to participate?”
“Yeah! Make sure ya write my name down properly on the registration list!”
The man howled, the sarcasm flying past his head, finally causing Yuri to scowl.
“You don’t need to introduce yourself, so hurry up and tell us your names!”
“Whoops, my bad. The name’s Arc!!”
He stuck out his chest so far that he looked to be in danger of falling backward.
He was as proud as though he was announcing his name after a victory in battle and, above everything else, his voice was frighteningly rousing.
……Though Selphie had never heard of him before.
“Like I said, you’re too loud, Chief. ——And more importantly, is it okay for us to use our real names?”
“What’s the point in bein’ sneaky about it, ya idiot? A man should always be bold! Stop bein’ so gloomy, Ferris.”
“……And there you go saying my name out loud too. That being said, I’ll be participating too, so please register me as well, beautiful miss.”
“——Oh. Can I ask you to fill out the form please?”
Selphie handed them a pen in a hurry.
Even after they had left the table, Selphie foll~owed after the rather impressionable pair of warriors with her eyes until they went back outside.
“Sigh~……They were a pretty contrastive pair, weren’t they? Do you think that person called Ferris really knows how to fight?”
They were both twenty-one according to the registrations list……but Ferris had looked like an effeminate boy of maybe seventeen years old.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover. You never know how strong or weak someone is just by how they look. We should know that well enough by now, right?”
Yuri offered a serious opinion, for once.
Miran, who was still lingering around them, agreed enthusiastically.
“You’re absolutely right. Just because he was strong and muscular doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s strong.”
Selphie had no choice but to agree, as they knew of someone who personified this rule without a doubt.
“……You’re rightt. Lord Rain acts bold, but you’d never know he was really that strong just by looking at him. You’d be able to tell instantaneously if you felt his wave of power, but most normal people can’t feel that.”
All three of them just so happened to recall their liege’s brazen mien at the same time.
While this wasn’t necessarily the reason why, Selphie’s good friend Yuri blinked and furrowed her brows a little.
She sat down a little forcefully on the chair and looked to the cloudy sky that was peeking in from the arch-shaped entrance.
“More imporantlyy, isn’t it time to close up soon? It looks like it’s gonna rain, too, so let’s just call it a day. I’m sure most of the applicants have already registered by now anyway.”
“No——”
Captain Miran pulled out a silver-chained pocket watch from his pocket and stubbornly shook his head. He continued,
“there’s still about ten minutes left.”
……I’m surprised he owns such an expensive item.
Selphie, who was a poor as ever, was more impressed by this than anything else. Something like this with intricate parts that required a skilled professional to craft wasn’t something an average civilian could afford.
It was completely custom made and was mostly sold to royalty and titled nobility.
“Oh, I’m just gonna say this, but this is something I borrowed from Galfort Castle. I mean, there’s no way I could afford this,”
Miran told Selphie as if he had read her thoughts.
Yuri puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
She didn’t blame Miran outright, perhaps because she was being considerate of their respective social standings, but her reserve didn’t extend to the tone of her voice.
“Ehhh! What time we close doesn’t even matter all that much, but they really told you to use a watch to keep track?! I’d like to ask for better working conditions!”
“It’s your duty, so there’s no helping it, Yuri.”
Miran shrugged. He continued,
“and the General’s asked me to do a few other things too.”
What did he ask you to do? Selphie wanted to ask, but Yuri complained again before she could.
“Anyhow! Is there really a reason we have to keep track of time like——”
Suddenly, a third voice cut in.
“But it looks like that’s why I’m able to make it in time to register.”
All three of them looked up at the same time.
Just when had she arrived?
A lone girl was looking at them with her arms crossed behind her back.
“Hello, everyone. ——The weather’s rather nice today.”
……It’s extremely cloudy and it looks like it’ll rain anytime now.
Selphie wanted to say, but she managed to stop herself.
Something as trivial as the weather didn’t really matter. The girl demanded their attention, though in a different way than the two from earlier had. The three knight’s gazes, Selphie’s included, rushed to her.
She was wearing a sky-blue blouse with a flared miniskirt underneath even though it was winter.
She was also technically wearing a white velvet mantle, but she still looked like she would be cold.
She looked to be the same age as Shelfa.
She was slender and was so pale it looked like she had never been out in the sun in her life. Her long silver hair was tied up by vibrant blue ribbons on either side of her head in twin tails.
She observed the three of them in interest with her wine-colored almond eyes, and Selphie felt that she seemed very strong-willed.
Still, there was no doubt that she was a beauty that could be picked out from a crowd. Miran was completely enamored with her and was staring at her flabbergasted.
Selphie could only say that it was a complete mystery as to why she hadn’t felt the presence of a girl who stood out as she did even though she was standing right in front of them.
Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, Selphie hoarsely asked,
“um……are you here to participate? But you have to be an adult of fifteen or older to compete.”
The beautiful girl chuckled as she gently raised a well-defined eyebrow. Her actions suggested that she had heard something hilarious.
“It’s alright. I meet the age requirements quite easily.”
She walked over with beautiful steps with her back straight and stood before the table.
She picked up the pen before anyone could tell her otherwise and fluidly filled out her registration.
There was no sluggishness in her movements, and even her smallest actions were fluid and beautiful. Each and every thing she did was florid, as if she was a stage actor. Selphie could not help but think she was cool.
She quickly checked through the registration and read the girl’s name out loud.
“Er, u~m. Miss Sylbia Rozenburg?”
“Your pronunciation was a little off. It’s Sylvia Rosenberg! A pleasure to meet you.”
She threw in a stylish wink with one of her wine-colored eyes.
For whatever reason, Selphie felt her cheeks flush.
Why did my heart skip a beat for someone younger than me, and a girl too?
“Um~, can I ask you something?”
Yuri cut in sounding a little worried. She continued,
“sorry if I’m being too nosy here……. But will it really be okay for you to participate?”
“You can’t judge how strong or weak someone is by their appearance——weren’t you the one who said that just now?”
Sylvia said in a singsong manner as she suddenly whipped off her snow-white mantle (which was scarlet on the inside).
For a moment, there was an uproar because everyone present thought that she was about to lavishly strip herself of everything, but there was no way she’d actually do that.
Selphie and the others understood her intentions soon after she spun around and turned her back to them.
Sylvia was wearing two longswords held together by a leather strap diagonally across her back. The sword hilts were sticking out beyond her shoulders, so it was a wonder why they hadn’t seen it at all until now.
It was likely because all three of them had only been looking at her face and slender legs.
“Eh~~, you dual wield!?”
Yuri’s voice was so shrill it was almost a scream.
It was Selphie’s first time seeing a warrior other than Captain Leni dual wielding as well.
“As you can see, I’m not actually that short for a girl. But my swords drag across the ground if I fasten them to my waist,”
Sylvia said with a sigh.
“All despite the fact that I can swing around both swords with ease, even if it isn’t my true area of expertise. ……Some things in the world just don’t go the way you want them to,”
she continued nonchalantly as she put her mantle back on.
All three of the knights truly thought, Seriously? To be frank, they had thought that Sylvia wouldn’t be able to hold anything heavier than a spoon because of her slender frame and skinny arms.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask as well,”
the dual wielding girl casually changed the subject. She continued,
“I’m sorry if I’m wrong. But are you people Rain’s subordinates, by any chance?”
Selphie and Yuri exchanged looks when she said this, and Miran closed his mouth, which had been foolishly agape until then. He quickly straightened his posture.
“I’d like to ask you not to say the General’s name so informally. He’s my liege lord, you see.”
He was polite, but his tone was firm.
Selphie felt as though she had caught a glimpse of a surprising aspect of his personality.
Sylvia’s reaction, however, took her by even more of a surprise. Instead of taking offense or apologizing, the girl simply narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Miran, but what of it?”
“——Oh~, it’s nothing. I just wanted to remember your name because Rain’s probably taken a liking to you. Would you two mind telling me your names as well?”
Selphie and Yuri both introduced themselves as she’d asked.
They both had the strange feeling that this wasn’t going to be the last time they would see her.
Miran, on the other hand, relaxed his light green eyes, which he had opened wide.
“……Excuse me. Are you an acquaintance of the General’s?”
“Yep, I am. I went out of my way to come here because I heard that Rain was here. Applying for the tournament is just an extra, I suppose.”
Sylvia nodded.
“I see……. But the General is currently absent, you know? He’s returned to his lands.”
“Huh, really!?”
Sylvia’s wine-colored eyes clouded visibly.
The change was so obvious, as though her disappoint was the result of having missed her dear lover.
“How strange……that shouldn’t be the case. But now that you mention it, the trace was pretty weak.”
Her shoulders dropped and she began muttering about something Selphie couldn’t understand.
But more importantly.
“So, what exactly is your relationship with Lord Rain?!!”
The question had been whirling around inside of Selphie’s head at the speed of light for a while now. It was the one thing she wanted to ask most.
Sylvia finally stopped her soliloquy upon seeing how Selphie leaned in with breath abated.
Her rose-colored lips suddenly broke into a smile, as if she’d suddenly thought up of something good.
Then, she suddenly threw them for a loop.
“I forgot to say earlier. I’m his fiancé.”
Ehh——————————!?
The three knights were astounded and voiced their surprise out loud as they were taken aback. Even Miran had joined in on the chorus of surprise.
A mischievous smile slowly spread across Sylvia’s beautiful visage.
“……Just kidding. I lied just now.”
Everyone froze.
……A joke? That was a joke just now?! Were, were you teasing us? Selphie, who was unsure of how to react, began to panic a little upon realizing that Sylvia was looking at her.
The mysterious and beautiful young girl was looking at her profoundly.
“That face just now……. I see, so you like Rain too.”
The shock came a beat later.
Selphie responded, as though she’d been shocked,
“Um! What do you mean by “too”?”
The dual-wielding girl had been about to turn away, but she instead delivered one last shock before turning around.
“I meant exactly what you think I do, Selphie.”
Miran glanced at Selphie, who had frozen up spectacularly, out of the corner of his eye before hurriedly asking,
“I have a question too. ……You said that your swords weren’t your true area of expertise earlier. Why aren’t you competing with what you’re best at?”
“——The reason’s simple.”
Sylvia suddenly smiled.
Something cold reflexively ran up the three knight’s backs.
There was something so terribly intimidating in her smile that it seemed to overturn the impression of a cheerful young girl she had held until now.
With the silent impact her smile gave off, the girl replied,
“if I did, the others would have so little a chance that I’d feel sorry for them.”
Sylvia finally left after saying her last nonchalant but arrogant piece.
After they had silently seen her off.
“……Huh?”
Yuri’s puzzled voice finally reached Selphie’s head.
With the shock still lingering in her system, Selphie asked,
“what’s wrong?”
“Hmm. It’s this here. ……This, this has to be wrong, right?”
Yuri was pointing to an entry on the registration list.
Sylvia had written down her name with flowing penmanship and had listed her age at the very end of the line.
——And unless Selphie had read it incorrectly, it said she was around 3,700 years old.
Sylvia, who had left the amphitheater behind, whispered to herself as she walked without making a sound.
“……It might be as good a chance as any.”
Her cute tongue poked out from her rose-colored lips.
“Shall I teach these humans——that the strongest race on this continent isn’t the daemons nor the ancient dragons, but us?”
Then, as if in objection——
The figure of an unsociable boy in all black garb rose into her mind. He glared at her with his morose eyes, though he was just her imagination.
Sylvia laughed with her shoulders shaking before she knew it.
Indeed, that boy would have definitely raised an objection to her words just now.
“You and your people aren’t the strongest as long as I’m around.”
He would have surely said as much with his head held up in pride.
Her floral laughter had drawn the attention of the people on the road to her, but Sylvia didn’t mind in the slightest.
Her soliloquy naturally took a gentler tone.
“Yes, of course. ……Of course you’re an exception.”
I want to see Rain soon.
A spring had appeared in Sylvia’s footsteps at some point.
Part 1
“As the representative of all the retainers present here, I hereby wish Her Majesty, Shelfa Iras Sunkwoll, a happy new year.”
Ralphus’, the leader of all the retainers present, wandering voice reached the ears of everyone who had gathered here today.
There were in the war council chamber, deep within the depths of Galfort Castle.
All of the prominent military and civil officials had gathered here this morning to greet the new year.
After all, it was a new year. While the Murgenian Calendar, which was prevalent throughout the continent, was another story, today was the start of the “Second Year of Queen Shelfa’s Reign” according to the Sunkwoll Calendar.
That being said, Shelfa had only succeeded the throne a mere twenty days prior, making this still a part of the first full year of her rule, as the first calendar year of her reign had been rather brief.
Today felt more like the real start of things, both from the timing of things and from how she felt about it.
——And while the aforementioned probably wasn’t the reason why…
Ralphus, who was standing at the very forefront of the others, continued as he raised his voice a notch louder,
“I pray that the gods of war and wealth protect you this year, Your Majesty. And I pray that you will lead us in good health and in accordance to your will.”
Ralphus bent his knee after Shelfa had responded accordingly to his earnest greetings. Everyone else standing behind the high general followed suit after the highest ranked retainer present and also knelt as one. Next, they would remain waiting until the Queen next spoke.
Silence rang throughout the room and seconds, dozens of seconds, passed.
No one spoke a word.
The retainers began to grow dubious of the silence and quietly raised their heads——only to find that Shelfa, who was seated on a chair that had been installed on the raised platform, was staring absent~mindedly in a completely different direction.
……She looked gloomy.
Her ever-radiant beauty had lost some of its light.
Well, she was still beautiful enough that people would gather and pay good money just to see her, but her appearance now had nothing on how she usually looked.
Moreover, Shelfa, the person in question, sighed like she was deathly ill and knitted the gentle curves of her eyebrows.
She even had a single, dainty, porcelain-white hand pressing down at her chest on the soft bulge of her dress.
Even Ralphus felt a chill run down his back. It was because he knew where his liege’s thoughts were.
He looked up urgently at the platform.
Thankfully, she finally noticed.
Shelfa blinked her sapphire eyes a few times before finally replying,
“thank you, everyone, for gathering here so early in the morning. It is I who must be guided by you. So please, take care of me.”
Shelfa quickly lowered her head from her seat despite the fact that she was a monarch and was seated on an elevated platform. Her attitude hadn’t changed in the slightest even after taking the throne.
And, of course, her feelings for Rain had only grown stronger with no sign of ever fading away.
Which was why Shelfa could not bear the fact that Rain was currently not present in the castle——no, that he was not in the capital city, Lydia.
——As for how things ended up that way…
Shelfa was currently in the middle of a conference to determine her policy as a queen.
But there was a problem with the contents of her policies.
Sunkwoll had lost a good number of talented personnel after the war with Zarmine. When she decided upon important policies, she’d also need to determine who would officiate them—in which laid the problem.
There were the issues concerning the matter of public order, and the issue of determining who would give orders to other government officials on how to amend taxes and oversee the process……these were typically a civil official’s duties, but even the military officials were busy with such work at the moment.
It was only natural that they were wracking their brains trying to select personnel for these jobs——it would have all been fine and well if these “things” had all been simple tasks, or if they could have been fully accomplished from within the castle.
But it needn’t be said that not everything could be accomplished within the castle walls. There were times when they would need to leave the castle for their duties, be they civil or military officials.
And, as could largely be expected, Shelfa was perpetually opposed to the idea of Rain being away from the castle (Galfort Castle, that is) for long stretches of time.
To sum it up quickly, she always thought, ‘Please don’t go anywhere unless I can accompany you, Rain,” at all times.
Of course, she never came out and blatantly said anything selfish like, “I want Rain to stay here with me or else!” She never insisted that far, but——
For example, the following conversation had played out just the other day.
Ralphus had offered her the following report at the round table.
“Regarding the maintenance of public order in the areas surrounding the capital, Your Majesty. I believe it would be best for a high-ranked military official to patrol the area with his unit.”
“Was this not the case before?”
“The Hundred Knights Corp used to make periodic rounds——. However, the current situation being what it is. I would advise against leaving everything to them, as we still need to supervise the neighborhood garrison and the knights at the fort as well. I believe either Rain or myself would have to go, and it would take at least ten days of our time.”
Then, Rain had nonchalantly said,
“hm~m. Then I guess I’ll——”
But Shelfa had hastily cut him off.
“No! There are things I’d like to ask you to do within the castle, Rain!”
……The fact that she absolutely didn’t want Rain to be gone for ten days was apparent on her face. Though, everything had proceeded smoothly at the time because Ralphuse had smiled and volunteered to go himself.
——As in the aforementioned incident, it was difficult to say that Shelfa was impartial and sensible when it came to “matters concerning Rain”, though she was a fair and wise ruler otherwise.
Though, it certainly wasn’t a great thing that Rain had to be away from Galfort for a long while this time around.
Nothing big had happened since the assassins had failed, but anyone could see that they still couldn’t take it easy on that front just yet. The enemy organization still existed, after all. And so, Rain had planned to station himself permanently by his liege’s side even if Shelfa didn’t go out of her way to ask him to.
But, to Shelfa’s great shock, Rain was finally forced to leave the capital for unavoidable reasons.
“So much work has piled up at my castle, Cortecreas Castle, that I have no choice but to go back as its liege lord.”
——It had been Rain himself who had said this.
Incidentally, the man had also added, “I’m definitely not going back just to slack off or anything, ‘kay?”
Shelfa had wasted no time proposing, “I’ll go with you, in that case,” as if it was the most natural thing in the world……but her hopes were quickly dashed.
Of all the things, it was apparently because, “That would be bad, considering your status!”
Shelfa didn’t care the slightest about what other people thought or what misunderstandings they might make (though it wouldn’t have been a misunderstanding at all), but there were apparently a lot of politics at play that she didn’t understand.
And so, Rain had departed from the capital after a long, one-sided lamentation had been carried out……it was a bit of an exaggeration to say he had departed, but that was how Shelfa felt about the matter.
It had been sad and painful.
Even if he would return in just ten days.
Incidentally, the day that Ralphus had spearheaded the new year’s greetings was Rain’s third day of absence.
~~~~~~*~~
Shelfa, who was already reaching her psychological limits by the new year’s greetings, had grown even more depressed by the time that Ralphus came to check in on her the next day.
She was sitting on a rocking chair and staring list~lissly out the window.
Ralphus gently closed the door behind him and worriedly called out to her extremely dejected profile.
“……Your ladies-in-waiting tell me you didn’t eat lunch today.”
“I’m sorry, I just don’t have an appetite. I did try to eat……but everything only tasted like sand for some reason,”
……she said with a small sigh.
She sounded so apologetic that Ralphus knew that she was being honest about trying.
Then, she turned her gaze back out the window. This was the highest floor of the castle, so she could see far into the distance from where she was.
In other words, she’d be the first one to know when Rain returned……though there was no way that he could possibly be back this soon.
It was as if she was a maiden who had been forcefully separated from her dear lover without being able to see him for a decade.
Ralphus groaned to himself.
It had only been four days since Rain had left Galfort.
And yet, Shelfa’s shoulders were drooping in gloom and she hadn’t even changed out of her nightclothes yet.
He was sure of his, as he could see the light fabric of her negligee peeking out from the collar of the thick gown she was wearing over it. His liege was about ten times more cleanly than the average person, so this was nearly unthinkable.
Ralphus cleared his throat and looked away before making a painful effort to improve Shelfa’s spirits.
“The preliminaries for the tournament will begin tomorrow in the amphitheater. Would Your Majesty like to spectate?”
“……I thought I wasn’t supposed to leave the barrier here at Galfort?”
By the by, the barrier referred to the magical barrier that Rain had put up after the incident with the assassination guild the other day.
Ralphus didn’t know much about what kind of barrier it was, but he had no doubts about its efficacy.
And so, he nodded as if to say that he understood.
“That may be the case, but Rain specifically said to please attend that event as a special exception. I’ll be meticulous about the details of your guard, so how about it?”
“Rain said that?”
She finally looked back at him again.
Shelfa looked a little sulky, for once.
“But……I don’t really feel like spectating if Rain won’t participate in person. There’ll be many, many people present, won’t there? I’d……rather not.”
It was something that Shelfa, who hated crowds, would say. She probably wanted to add——that she would endure it, if only Rain were here.
Well, it was certainly true that Rain had not declared his intent to participate.
He was the person who had initially come up with the idea for the tournament——in other words, the “The tournament to follow after Chandrys’ example and headhunt useful people without holding anything back”, and yet he did not plan to participate in it.
As far as Ralphus recalled, when he had asked Rain about participating, the man had said, with an extremely serious look on his face,
“It won’t be any fun if I compete.”
……That aside, the aforementioned tournament’s long name was modified boringly to a “martial arts tournament (sponsored by the royal family)”.
Long story short, it was a large-scale event involving mock matches and they had already spread information about its rules.
It was a part of Sunkwoll’s proactive measures to headhunt capable personnel.
However, Shelfa, the most important person in the midst of all this, had lost all interest in it as soon as she had discovered that Rain would not be competing.
“In, in that case, how about sending Rain a letter? I can have someone deliver it to him, if you’d like.”
“That’s——”
Shelfa lowered her long lashes. She continued,
“I asked Mr. Gunther to deliver Rain a letter, and I spent the morning writing it. ……I gave him my letter when he visited me earlier.”
I was wondering why you hadn’t left your room—you were writing a letter all morning?!!
While he didn’t say this out loud, Ralphus was rendered momentarily speechless after having been beaten to the punch.
Then, Shelfa continued,
“um……”
“Y, yes?”
“Do you think the letter will really make its way to Rain’s hands?”
There was no way Ralphus could actually answer that.
“……It’s Gunther we’re talking about, so I’m sure that he has a way of ensuring that it’ll happen.”
Then, Ralphus noticed that a single sword had been set against the wall near the window.
No……the scabbard is somewhat curved——is it a katana?
He confirmed that it was after studying it for a bit.
It was none other than a weapon known as a katana that was covered in a pure white scabbard.
“Was that katana a gift, Your Majesty?”
Shelfa’s face lit up when he asked.
She picked up the katana and held it as though it was precious to her.
“Yes. Rain gave it to me!”
Her cheeks flushed red as she told him since it was something personal. Ralphus figured she must’ve been very happy for it.
“Did he now? ——May I take a look at it?”
“Please do!”
He stared hard at the katana that she had happily handed to him.
Both the sheathe and hilt were white. It had weight to it, but it was lighter than it appeared. But weight aside, the katana was gorgeous, as befitting of Shelfa.
Ralphus swiftly drew the blade.
He voiced his surprise out loud the very moment he did.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt
A bluish light filled the blade just as it began to emit the characteristic buzzing of a magic sword.
Its bright radiance was more than enough to let him imagine how powerful the person who imbued the katana with magic was, and Ralphus’ senses as a warrior picked up an immense wave of power from it.
A rune master, who could freely employ magic, would have probably grown dizzy just by looking at the bluish aura.
Ralphus stared at the blade, mesmerized, for a moment before drawing his own sword, “Justice”, which he had ready by his waist (he had just finished making rounds within the castle).
He gently touched Justice against the blade with the vibrant blue aura writhing across it. As usual, a small spark and crackle resulted.
And, while this always happened when two magic swords touched, he felt a faint sense of resistance from both his palms——it was so faint that it was hardly there. It could also be called a reaction.
He felt a stronger reaction from Justice in his right hand. In other words, it was struggling against the repellent force from even gently touching against the katana. Justice was being pushed back.
This was a simple matter of (magical) power, the difference in the abilities of the rune maters that had imbued the blades with magic. The difference in the rune masters’ relative qualities were being made known in this stark display of proof. It was quite the surprising outcome, considering that Justice had once been a famous sword owned by King Leygur himself.
Ralphus was honestly impressed, and said as much as he returned each blade to its respective sheath.
“It’s an impressively sharp sword. Magic swords are rare to begin with, but even I can tell how strong the magic imbued within this katana is. This blade must surely be famous across the world……”
Ralphus suddenly broke out into a smile as he spoke.
He had understood when Shelfa had begun squirming as if she wanted to tell him something.
And so, he asked on purpose though he already knew the answer.
“Did Rain imbue this blade with magic?”
“Yes! Rain charged it with magic just for me.”
I was so very, very happy!
——It was easy to tell what she was thinking just by seeing the smile bursting from her face.
“Does it have an epitaph?”
“It didn’t seem to have on in particular, so I named it “Rain (unauthorized by the actual person)”.”
She held the katana dearly to her chest when he returned it to her.
She was acting as though she had been given a doll instead of a blade, but Shelfa would have been happy with anything as long as Rain had given it to her, be it a doll or a katana.
“It’s apparently ten years too early for me to use something like this, but he said that “a ruler of a kingdom should at least have a weapon like this” when he gave it to me.”
“He said something like that, did he?”
Normally, one wouldn’t tell their liege, “It’s ten years too early for you to use this, but it’s yours anyway.”
Ralphus felt it was truly something the man would say.
“He also said that he planned to “make easy money off of forging and selling magic swords” if the “knight business didn’t work out” for him.”
Shelfa told Ralphus as she beamed.
“Hmmm…… If it’s Rain, he could certainly make an easy living off of this and more if he wanted to. After all, even the katana he gave you could probably buy two or three entire towns with room to spare.”
“No! I’d be troubled if he actually did that. It only means that he’s skilled enough to do it,”
Shelfa corrected herself in a hurry.
Ralphus was sure that she had likely given Rain the same kind of reminder as well.
Shelfa lowered her eyelids in embarrassment as Ralphus smiled to show that he already knew. Then, she pulled the katana half out of its sheath. She had probably acted without really thinking about it, but she stared deeply into the magic billowing from the blade as though something had come to mind.
She let out a soft sigh with a look that suggested that she had just realized something on her face.
“I can feel Rain when I look at this……”
Ralphus groaned internally when he heard her whisper.
It felt like Shelfa would either be gazing out the window or looking at her katana for the entire duration of Rain’s absence until his return.
But, in any case, he had to have her attend a few interviews in the afternoon.
Ralphus continued to wait for the right timing to bring it up.
~~*~~*~~*~~
“This the reception table for the martial arts tournament?”
Selphie nonchalantly looked up at the bold and cheerful voice and accidentally let slip an “ugh.”
She instinctively drew back in alarm despite being seated.
The man was peering down at Selphie while looming over the temporary table set up at the entrance to the amphitheater for registration and ticket selling purposes where Selphie and Yuuri had been sitting and laughing together. Selphie hadn’t noticed the man approach because she had been too absorbed in conversation……but the young man in the coat was still deserving of her blank amazement regardless.
He had a large frame and a youthful face full of cheer that reminded Selphie of a gang leader of a group of kids. His black eyes, which seemed to have no worries at all, were overwhelmingly flowing with masculinity. She could feel an overabundance of vigor just by looking at them.
Which was fine and all, but——
In any case, she didn’t quite know how she felt about the white bandana wrapped around his head.
A voice rang out from behind the large man as Selphie thought this.
She hadn’t seen the voice’s owner because he was hidden from view.
“C’mon, you’re at it again, Chief. You shouldn’t scare girls like that,”
the voice’s owner said in admonishment before lightly stepping forward to stand next to the large man.
He was an effeminate boy who looked so delicate that Selphie could hardly believe he was armed and he was smiling disarmingly while showing off his white teeth.
“Sorry, miss. This guy here’s pretty wild, crude, and pointlessly loud. I’m sure you were surprised when he came all up in your face like that.”
“What ‘ja say?! Damn you, stop talkin’ about people like they’re trash or somethin’!”
The large man spat out a decent volume of spit as he spoke.
He didn’t actually look that angry —this was probably a common occurrence between the two— but his natural voice still blared as it echoed off the walls.
It was loud enough that squad leader Miran, who was on guard duty nearby, started walking over.
Selphie told him, It’s nothing~, with her eyes and turned him away before smiling politely at her guests——but Yuri butted in before she could say anything.
“Hey, you don’t have to yell so loud when we’re right here, okay? Are you both here to participate?”
“Yeah! Make sure ya write my name down properly on the registration list!”
The man howled, the sarcasm flying past his head, finally causing Yuri to scowl.
“You don’t need to introduce yourself, so hurry up and tell us your names!”
“Whoops, my bad. The name’s Arc!!”
He stuck out his chest so far that he looked to be in danger of falling backward.
He was as proud as though he was announcing his name after a victory in battle and, above everything else, his voice was frighteningly rousing.
……Though Selphie had never heard of him before.
“Like I said, you’re too loud, Chief. ——And more importantly, is it okay for us to use our real names?”
“What’s the point in bein’ sneaky about it, ya idiot? A man should always be bold! Stop bein’ so gloomy, Ferris.”
“……And there you go saying my name out loud too. That being said, I’ll be participating too, so please register me as well, beautiful miss.”
“——Oh. Can I ask you to fill out the form please?”
Selphie handed them a pen in a hurry.
Even after they had left the table, Selphie foll~owed after the rather impressionable pair of warriors with her eyes until they went back outside.
“Sigh~……They were a pretty contrastive pair, weren’t they? Do you think that person called Ferris really knows how to fight?”
They were both twenty-one according to the registrations list……but Ferris had looked like an effeminate boy of maybe seventeen years old.
“You can’t judge a book by its cover. You never know how strong or weak someone is just by how they look. We should know that well enough by now, right?”
Yuri offered a serious opinion, for once.
Miran, who was still lingering around them, agreed enthusiastically.
“You’re absolutely right. Just because he was strong and muscular doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s strong.”
Selphie had no choice but to agree, as they knew of someone who personified this rule without a doubt.
“……You’re rightt. Lord Rain acts bold, but you’d never know he was really that strong just by looking at him. You’d be able to tell instantaneously if you felt his wave of power, but most normal people can’t feel that.”
All three of them just so happened to recall their liege’s brazen mien at the same time.
While this wasn’t necessarily the reason why, Selphie’s good friend Yuri blinked and furrowed her brows a little.
She sat down a little forcefully on the chair and looked to the cloudy sky that was peeking in from the arch-shaped entrance.
“More imporantlyy, isn’t it time to close up soon? It looks like it’s gonna rain, too, so let’s just call it a day. I’m sure most of the applicants have already registered by now anyway.”
“No——”
Captain Miran pulled out a silver-chained pocket watch from his pocket and stubbornly shook his head. He continued,
“there’s still about ten minutes left.”
……I’m surprised he owns such an expensive item.
Selphie, who was a poor as ever, was more impressed by this than anything else. Something like this with intricate parts that required a skilled professional to craft wasn’t something an average civilian could afford.
It was completely custom made and was mostly sold to royalty and titled nobility.
“Oh, I’m just gonna say this, but this is something I borrowed from Galfort Castle. I mean, there’s no way I could afford this,”
Miran told Selphie as if he had read her thoughts.
Yuri puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
She didn’t blame Miran outright, perhaps because she was being considerate of their respective social standings, but her reserve didn’t extend to the tone of her voice.
“Ehhh! What time we close doesn’t even matter all that much, but they really told you to use a watch to keep track?! I’d like to ask for better working conditions!”
“It’s your duty, so there’s no helping it, Yuri.”
Miran shrugged. He continued,
“and the General’s asked me to do a few other things too.”
What did he ask you to do? Selphie wanted to ask, but Yuri complained again before she could.
“Anyhow! Is there really a reason we have to keep track of time like——”
Suddenly, a third voice cut in.
“But it looks like that’s why I’m able to make it in time to register.”
All three of them looked up at the same time.
Just when had she arrived?
A lone girl was looking at them with her arms crossed behind her back.
“Hello, everyone. ——The weather’s rather nice today.”
……It’s extremely cloudy and it looks like it’ll rain anytime now.
Selphie wanted to say, but she managed to stop herself.
Something as trivial as the weather didn’t really matter. The girl demanded their attention, though in a different way than the two from earlier had. The three knight’s gazes, Selphie’s included, rushed to her.
She was wearing a sky-blue blouse with a flared miniskirt underneath even though it was winter.
She was also technically wearing a white velvet mantle, but she still looked like she would be cold.
She looked to be the same age as Shelfa.
She was slender and was so pale it looked like she had never been out in the sun in her life. Her long silver hair was tied up by vibrant blue ribbons on either side of her head in twin tails.
She observed the three of them in interest with her wine-colored almond eyes, and Selphie felt that she seemed very strong-willed.
Still, there was no doubt that she was a beauty that could be picked out from a crowd. Miran was completely enamored with her and was staring at her flabbergasted.
Selphie could only say that it was a complete mystery as to why she hadn’t felt the presence of a girl who stood out as she did even though she was standing right in front of them.
Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, Selphie hoarsely asked,
“um……are you here to participate? But you have to be an adult of fifteen or older to compete.”
The beautiful girl chuckled as she gently raised a well-defined eyebrow. Her actions suggested that she had heard something hilarious.
“It’s alright. I meet the age requirements quite easily.”
She walked over with beautiful steps with her back straight and stood before the table.
She picked up the pen before anyone could tell her otherwise and fluidly filled out her registration.
There was no sluggishness in her movements, and even her smallest actions were fluid and beautiful. Each and every thing she did was florid, as if she was a stage actor. Selphie could not help but think she was cool.
She quickly checked through the registration and read the girl’s name out loud.
“Er, u~m. Miss Sylbia Rozenburg?”
“Your pronunciation was a little off. It’s Sylvia Rosenberg! A pleasure to meet you.”
She threw in a stylish wink with one of her wine-colored eyes.
For whatever reason, Selphie felt her cheeks flush.
Why did my heart skip a beat for someone younger than me, and a girl too?
“Um~, can I ask you something?”
Yuri cut in sounding a little worried. She continued,
“sorry if I’m being too nosy here……. But will it really be okay for you to participate?”
“You can’t judge how strong or weak someone is by their appearance——weren’t you the one who said that just now?”
Sylvia said in a singsong manner as she suddenly whipped off her snow-white mantle (which was scarlet on the inside).
For a moment, there was an uproar because everyone present thought that she was about to lavishly strip herself of everything, but there was no way she’d actually do that.
Selphie and the others understood her intentions soon after she spun around and turned her back to them.
Sylvia was wearing two longswords held together by a leather strap diagonally across her back. The sword hilts were sticking out beyond her shoulders, so it was a wonder why they hadn’t seen it at all until now.
It was likely because all three of them had only been looking at her face and slender legs.
“Eh~~, you dual wield!?”
Yuri’s voice was so shrill it was almost a scream.
It was Selphie’s first time seeing a warrior other than Captain Leni dual wielding as well.
“As you can see, I’m not actually that short for a girl. But my swords drag across the ground if I fasten them to my waist,”
Sylvia said with a sigh.
“All despite the fact that I can swing around both swords with ease, even if it isn’t my true area of expertise. ……Some things in the world just don’t go the way you want them to,”
she continued nonchalantly as she put her mantle back on.
All three of the knights truly thought, Seriously? To be frank, they had thought that Sylvia wouldn’t be able to hold anything heavier than a spoon because of her slender frame and skinny arms.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask as well,”
the dual wielding girl casually changed the subject. She continued,
“I’m sorry if I’m wrong. But are you people Rain’s subordinates, by any chance?”
Selphie and Yuri exchanged looks when she said this, and Miran closed his mouth, which had been foolishly agape until then. He quickly straightened his posture.
“I’d like to ask you not to say the General’s name so informally. He’s my liege lord, you see.”
He was polite, but his tone was firm.
Selphie felt as though she had caught a glimpse of a surprising aspect of his personality.
Sylvia’s reaction, however, took her by even more of a surprise. Instead of taking offense or apologizing, the girl simply narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Miran, but what of it?”
“——Oh~, it’s nothing. I just wanted to remember your name because Rain’s probably taken a liking to you. Would you two mind telling me your names as well?”
Selphie and Yuri both introduced themselves as she’d asked.
They both had the strange feeling that this wasn’t going to be the last time they would see her.
Miran, on the other hand, relaxed his light green eyes, which he had opened wide.
“……Excuse me. Are you an acquaintance of the General’s?”
“Yep, I am. I went out of my way to come here because I heard that Rain was here. Applying for the tournament is just an extra, I suppose.”
Sylvia nodded.
“I see……. But the General is currently absent, you know? He’s returned to his lands.”
“Huh, really!?”
Sylvia’s wine-colored eyes clouded visibly.
The change was so obvious, as though her disappoint was the result of having missed her dear lover.
“How strange……that shouldn’t be the case. But now that you mention it, the trace was pretty weak.”
Her shoulders dropped and she began muttering about something Selphie couldn’t understand.
But more importantly.
“So, what exactly is your relationship with Lord Rain?!!”
The question had been whirling around inside of Selphie’s head at the speed of light for a while now. It was the one thing she wanted to ask most.
Sylvia finally stopped her soliloquy upon seeing how Selphie leaned in with breath abated.
Her rose-colored lips suddenly broke into a smile, as if she’d suddenly thought up of something good.
Then, she suddenly threw them for a loop.
“I forgot to say earlier. I’m his fiancé.”
Ehh——————————!?
The three knights were astounded and voiced their surprise out loud as they were taken aback. Even Miran had joined in on the chorus of surprise.
A mischievous smile slowly spread across Sylvia’s beautiful visage.
“……Just kidding. I lied just now.”
Everyone froze.
……A joke? That was a joke just now?! Were, were you teasing us? Selphie, who was unsure of how to react, began to panic a little upon realizing that Sylvia was looking at her.
The mysterious and beautiful young girl was looking at her profoundly.
“That face just now……. I see, so you like Rain too.”
The shock came a beat later.
Selphie responded, as though she’d been shocked,
“Um! What do you mean by “too”?”
The dual-wielding girl had been about to turn away, but she instead delivered one last shock before turning around.
“I meant exactly what you think I do, Selphie.”
Miran glanced at Selphie, who had frozen up spectacularly, out of the corner of his eye before hurriedly asking,
“I have a question too. ……You said that your swords weren’t your true area of expertise earlier. Why aren’t you competing with what you’re best at?”
“——The reason’s simple.”
Sylvia suddenly smiled.
Something cold reflexively ran up the three knight’s backs.
There was something so terribly intimidating in her smile that it seemed to overturn the impression of a cheerful young girl she had held until now.
With the silent impact her smile gave off, the girl replied,
“if I did, the others would have so little a chance that I’d feel sorry for them.”
Sylvia finally left after saying her last nonchalant but arrogant piece.
After they had silently seen her off.
“……Huh?”
Yuri’s puzzled voice finally reached Selphie’s head.
With the shock still lingering in her system, Selphie asked,
“what’s wrong?”
“Hmm. It’s this here. ……This, this has to be wrong, right?”
Yuri was pointing to an entry on the registration list.
Sylvia had written down her name with flowing penmanship and had listed her age at the very end of the line.
——And unless Selphie had read it incorrectly, it said she was around 3,700 years old.
Sylvia, who had left the amphitheater behind, whispered to herself as she walked without making a sound.
“……It might be as good a chance as any.”
Her cute tongue poked out from her rose-colored lips.
“Shall I teach these humans——that the strongest race on this continent isn’t the daemons nor the ancient dragons, but us?”
Then, as if in objection——
The figure of an unsociable boy in all black garb rose into her mind. He glared at her with his morose eyes, though he was just her imagination.
Sylvia laughed with her shoulders shaking before she knew it.
Indeed, that boy would have definitely raised an objection to her words just now.
“You and your people aren’t the strongest as long as I’m around.”
He would have surely said as much with his head held up in pride.
Her floral laughter had drawn the attention of the people on the road to her, but Sylvia didn’t mind in the slightest.
Her soliloquy naturally took a gentler tone.
“Yes, of course. ……Of course you’re an exception.”
I want to see Rain soon.
A spring had appeared in Sylvia’s footsteps at some point.
