The weather is nice.
The sky is blue.
The sun is shining brightly.
It’s warm yet slightly cool.
Is this the beginning of spring?
I was sitting absentmindedly in the garden of the mansion.
Soon, the garden will be filled with bright red anemones.
In front of that fountain.
Lately, things have become strange with Eliya.
Literally strange.
There’s no other word that would express it properly.
The beginning of this weirdness started after we attended the founding ceremony.
A distance that shouldn’t exist has formed.
We managed to get along as awkwardly as possible, just like before.
Until I choked, for sure.
I even used magic.
The tragedy I saw five years ago has been recreated just like that.
After that, we never met again.
Except for yesterday during the foot-washing ceremony.
“To be precise, Eliya avoided me…”
Why did Eliya choke me?
And why, since then, has she been avoiding me and not saying a word?
If she really intended to kill me, what was the reason?
Why doesn’t she try to kill me again?
If it’s a misunderstanding, what could the other reason be?
Whatever it is, I just wish she’d make it clear.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
This situation is funny.
There was a time I wanted to run away from the tragedy, yet now I’m still here after experiencing it.
What the heck am I expecting?
What do I want to hear?
Seeing her blatantly avoid me makes it seem like there might be a reason…
“By the way, my diet has changed lately… Did she notice my condition?”
Isn’t a tea good for magic supposed to be served before meals?
The main course is also stuffed with ingredients that help enhance magic.
Of course, it has no effect.
I’ve already eaten more than enough at the magic tower.
Currently, my magic level is 1.
Thanks to the magic I received through Yuel, it had been 11 just yesterday, but I lost it again during the foot-washing ceremony.
“What is Eliya thinking…?”
While I was pondering.
“Hey.”
“Eek!”
Something cold touched the back of my neck.
I jumped up in shock.
“Whoa, you scared me…. Richard-senpai?”
What touched my neck was a water jug.
He chuckled while drinking cold water.
“What are you thinking so hard about that you couldn’t even respond when I called?”
“Ah, it’s just…”
“Having trouble with the lady, huh?”
“How did you know… What, uh, what do you mean? No, not at all?”
“Oh really?”
Richard sat down on the bench, grinning as if he knew everything.
The place where I had originally been sitting.
I plopped down next to him.
“Man, I’ve seen you for years.”
“Five years, you mean.”
“Right. When something’s bothering you, it shows all over your face. And that doesn’t happen for no reason.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When you were unhappy with training today.”
“…Oh. That’s accurate.”
“And when something’s wrong with the lady.”
“……”
“In that case, it’s usually just your one-sided worries. Like being flustered when she’s holding you, or worrying about her….”
“If someone heard that, they’d think I’m in love or something.”
“That’s not true. It’s mutual, right?”
“……”
Well.
Could that really be true?
Generally, one doesn’t choke the person they like.
As I was pondering what to say, someone else suddenly interrupted.
“Whoa. What are you two guys doing, acting all lovey-dovey?”
Shylock strolled over like some local bum.
“Hm. We were having a rather heated conversation.”
As Richard said that, Shylock clicked his tongue.
“Doesn’t seem like a topic for men to share.”
Yet he sat down next to me.
Suddenly stuck between Shylock and Richard.
“It’s cramped in here.”
“It’s your big body taking up all the space.”
“So, is there something going on between our knight and the lady?”
Shylock asked as if it was obvious.
When I glared at him, he shrugged.
“How could I not know? The lady is good at hiding her emotions, but you clearly are not.”
“My point exactly.”
“Ugh. Just….”
I sighed deeply as if exhaling stale air.
I can’t say everything, but…
“I don’t really know what to do.”
“Wow, from the mouth of someone who just goes for things without thinking, you say you don’t know?”
“Love really is scary.”
“I’m curious, do you two act like this all the time? I’m terrified someone might overhear.”
Upon my question, both burst into hollow laughter.
“Everyone except you and the lady knows.”
“My point. Watching both of you struggle is making me uneasy.”
“……”
I had no choice but to shut my mouth, feeling awkward.
Seeing that, Richard gave me a swift jab on the shoulder.
“What’s making you think so deep? Since when have you been like this? If you don’t know, just ask. You’ll find out.”
Just say it.
Whatever it is.
That’s the easiest way.
It’s not that hard, and it’s the most effective.
“But…”
Eliya is avoiding me.
When I go looking for her, she’s either absent, ignores me, or tells me to leave with a short remark.
Her tone has changed so drastically from before.
There was a time I tried to hold her back to talk, but she retreated as if I were some bug and teleported away.
Since then, approaching her has become a bit awkward.
“Could it be…?”
Suddenly, one possibility crossed my mind.
Sardis.
The human who almost made a huge mistake on Eliya’s 13th birthday.
As I grew closer to her, I might’ve felt a hint of affection, which triggered a trauma causing her to want to avoid me.
“Seems plausible, but… I’m not a professional, and I’m not the one involved, so I can’t know for sure.”
Besides, since she’s the one avoiding me, it’s even harder to know.
I sighed deeply and looked up at the sky.
The weather is unnecessarily nice.
“I’ll make sure not to cause any worry.”
“Hm. Should I expect some good news then?”
Shylock asked slyly.
I elbowed him lightly and turned to Richard.
“How’s it going with Beninita noona?”
“Well, no problems, but the atmosphere has been a bit… you know.”
The subtle tension between Eliya and the empire.
It’s well-known enough that everyone knows.
Rumors of an impending war are circulating quietly.
Because of that, the soldiers and knights in Eliya’s mansion are spending their days tense.
The direct line of the Bevel Family is probably a bit chaotic too.
“I told them to evacuate to a safe place since we don’t know what might happen.”
“That was wise.”
“…Is war really coming?”
“Hm… There’s a high probability of that.”
“I see….”
Richard, who had been thinking for a bit, suddenly grinned.
“Considering the empire, that much is fine. We should be able to handle it.”
Richard.
The Lion’s Knight.
Before I knew it, he had become the person I remembered.
A combative warrior.
The slight change is that he’s a reliable companion now.
I managed a weak smile.
Even though the situation is seriously troubling, knowing I have trustworthy companions is somewhat reassuring.
“What a madman…”
Shylock shook his head as if he were fed up.
After wrapping up our conversation, we left the garden.
Richard added one last remark.
Other members of the royal guard are worried too.
“Seriously, all this overzealousness… yet I’m grateful.”
Eliya and I.
I feel like we should face each other at least before the war begins.
“Yuda!”
When someone called, I turned to see Hermis.
“Hermis! Long time no see.”
“Indeed. It’s been hard to see your face.”
“I’ve been busy following the lady around. But what’s the matter?”
“Ah, it’s nothing special. Remember how you wanted to have a house in Jericho?”
“…Ah. That’s right.”
I recalled the request when I was planning to run away from Eliya.
“It has finally been completed. Minimal furniture is ready, so you just need to move in.”
The house in Jericho.
If I ever have to run away from Eliya, it’s the place I intended to live.
I had forgotten about it.
I thought I didn’t need it.
But now….
I can’t exactly say I don’t need it.
“This is roughly what it looks like.”
Hermis opened a page in his notebook to show me.
It was a lightly sketched picture of the mansion.
It’s not as big as Eliya’s mansion, but it’s definitely enough for just me.
“Ooh… You draw quite well?”
“Haha. I’ve been drawing whenever I’m bored, and this is how it turned out. Do you like it?”
“I haven’t seen it in person, but it looks nice.”
“But why did you say you needed a separate house?”
“Just… for some reason….”
Because I was trying to run away.
At some point, I found that the need to escape had disappeared.
But now, the situation has changed again.
I simply laughed helplessly and made excuses.
“I thought it might come in handy someday.”
*
“…Deployment?”
Yuda received a command from Miguel.
After reading it all, he asked again, seemingly unable to believe it.
Miguel just answered coldly.
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“That’s what the lady decided.”
“So why?”
“All the reasons and objectives are written in that order. There’s nothing more to convey.”
“……”
Yuda pressed his temples and checked the order again.
It was a direct command from Eliya.
He had no right to refuse.
The content was simple.
Indefinite deployment without a set date.
The destination is the frontline at the northeastern tip where war is most active right now.
Bethany.
A place so deadly that even renowned knights could easily die.
A place described as a veritable hell.
Commonly referred to as the ‘Knights’ Graveyard.’
If the master orders him to leave for such a place, it means one thing.
Get out and die.
Don’t come back alive.
This isn’t deployment; it’s exile or expulsion.
Yuda’s deployment objective is to investigate the demon realm.
It’s not just simple; it’s lacking seriousness.
Yuda folded the order carefully.
“……”
Eliya choking him.
He kept avoiding conversation, but still waited.
The result of that was right in his hand.
Such one-sided notification is unacceptable to his nature.
He sent a signal to the necklace.
To summon him.
But there was no response.
“Where is the lady right now?”
“She told me not to say.”
“…Alright. Then I’ll go find her myself.”
“You need to go on your deployment right away…”
“Miguel.”
Yuda called his name.
For the first time in five years, that name was pronounced with intention.
Miguel tensed involuntarily at the low voice.
“You know you can’t stop something just because you want to. Regardless, I’m going to search the mansion until I find the lady.”
“……”
“From the looks of things, she hasn’t left the mansion.”
Unbeknownst to him, Yuda mimicked Eliya’s technique.
A method of assuming certainty from mere possibilities based on the reactions of the others.
It wasn’t a conscious imitation.
“Let’s not waste our energy prolonging this. I just want to hear the reason from the lady.”
“…She’s in her office.”
“Thanks.”
Yuda briskly walked past him.
Now, even just hearing the name of the room makes him familiar with where it is in the mansion.
Running up the stairs, he arrived quickly.
Knock knock. He tapped the door.
A voice answered from inside.
“Come in.”
Yuda opened the door, almost like he’d been waiting, and stepped inside.
As usual, Eliya sat in her office.
She looked up at him with an unusually cold expression.
This time, it wasn’t just her expression that was different.
The ring on her right ring finger was absent.
She had removed the ivory ring that allowed her to summon him.
Even the red scarf she wore in summer was gone.
The cat plush that she used to carry around despite her age was also missing.
“What do you want?”
Her voice asking what he was there for was chillingly cold.
What are you doing here?
It was a phrase akin to an order to leave.
Yuda didn’t listen.
“Lady.”
He slammed the order on her desk with a thud, staring straight at her.
“Let’s talk.”
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