“Whoa…”
I steadied my breath and lifted the rapier in my hand. On the other side, Arin was staring at me, wielding a longsword.
Without a second thought, we both charged at each other.
Clang!
The rapier and the longsword collided fiercely. My wrists and grip ached, but I gritted my teeth and held my ground.
Even though I hadn’t sharpened it, its signature weight was still hard to get used to. A tingling sensation shot up my wrist, making me grimace.
As I faltered just slightly, Arin wasted no time slipping through that gap.
“Silphy.”
[Got it!]
At my command, a barrier of wind blocked her longsword.
Taking advantage of the opening, I swung the rapier towards her. However, Arin had already anticipated it, swiftly redirecting her sword to block it.
She then lowered her body and prepared to swing again. At that moment, Silphy clenched her teeth and reached out.
Whoosh!
Two blades of wind flew towards Arin. With a slight grunt, she leaped into the air to evade them.
[Good, she’s airborne!]
“Wind, heed my call.”
With a short incantation, I concentrated the wind into a spot. In an instant, the flow of air reversed, and Arin’s expression shifted slightly.
I pictured a bullet being fired from the muzzle.
I could feel my power draining away, but there was no time to hesitate. Regardless of how powerful it was, I didn’t know if it would work on her.
“You made a good judgment. However…”
Bang!
A sharp sound rang in my ears as a gust of wind flew toward me. Arin grinned and swung her sword wide.
Simply swinging her sword created a pressure that scattered my attack in all directions.
“You can block wind with wind.”
“Kuh.”
Did she just block my attack with a burst of wind in mid-air? Her physical abilities were more impressive than I imagined.
Was Arin demonstrating Abel’s physical prowess like this? Gritting my teeth, I raised my rapier once more.
Clang! The metal rang as the rapier and longsword clashed again.
“The advantage of a rapier is its quick succession of strikes.”
Rapid exchanges of attacks occurred between Arin and me. It was hard to keep up with her strikes, and I barely managed to defend.
Even though my physical abilities were generally enhanced by Silphy’s power, countering her attacks was still challenging.
“Miss Adele still hasn’t fully utilized that advantage.”
I know.
It had only been about a week since I picked up a rapier. If I had the talent to realize that in such a short time, I would’ve chosen the path of a knight long ago.
It wasn’t a problem easily resolved by mere words.
Clang!
“Kuh…”
With a powerful strike, my rapier went flying. At the same time, Arin swiftly closed the gap, her longsword coming at me.
I thought I was going to lose, but facing this reality made me a bit frustrated.
“Whoa…”
I caressed my tingling wrist and took a rough breath. Arin, having approached me, extended her hand.
I grabbed her hand and slowly lifted my body.
“You worked hard today, Arin.”
“Not at all.”
It was now 11 PM. Normally, training would end around this time, but I felt a bit unsatisfied.
“Can we extend the time today—”
“Absolutely not.”
Before I could finish, Arin firmly cut me off. Just like last time, she was adamant.
If she thought I might suffer injuries or exhaustion, she wouldn’t hesitate to refuse my request.
I wanted to gather any clues to grow stronger through even a bit more training.
As if reading my mind, Arin shook her head vigorously and spoke.
“Being impatient might only make you take longer paths.”
“…I understand.”
But I couldn’t argue further against her heartfelt words. They were likely advice drawn from her own experiences.
I didn’t want to end up taking longer paths either, as she suggested.
“Here, a potion.”
“Thank you.”
I downed the potion Arin handed me. As it slid down my throat, a foul smell hit my nose, and I involuntarily grimaced.
Even though it was good for the body, this potion was quite extreme.
Of course, the fast recovery was a good thing. My wrist, which had just slightly hurt, returned to normal almost immediately.
They said it was a special potion directly purchased from the house, and it definitely lived up to its cost. There were even rumors that it could recover you quickly even if your abdomen was pierced!
“See you again tomorrow.”
Nodding at Arin’s words, I moved my shaky legs. Silphy, who had been floating beside me, surrounded me with wind.
That made walking much easier.
“Thanks.”
[You’re welcome.]
Her attentiveness was very similar to Abel’s. Also, she shrugged it off as if it were no big deal.
Even though he appeared indifferent on the surface, he looked after me quite a bit behind the scenes.
[That guy is quite something, huh.]
“Huh?”
[Oh, just talking to myself.]
Silphy said that and moved ahead. I followed her down the empty, unadorned corridors of the Duke’s Residence. The bleak hallway appeared to me.
At first, I thought it was a bit odd, but now it felt familiar.
“Oh, Lily didn’t come out today.”
Until yesterday, she would have come to greet me at the training ground at this time. I began to worry if something had happened.
As soon as I arrived in front of my room, Silphy blew the door open with wind. Beyond it, there was Lily.
She was asleep, leaning against the side of the bed. No matter how warm the inside of the Duke’s Residence was, she’d catch a cold like that.
“Poor thing, Lily.”
After all these days of coming out to meet me even during her usual sleeping time, she must have been exhausted, falling asleep like that.
I carefully picked her up and placed her on the bed. I even gently covered her with a blanket, hoping she wouldn’t wake up.
Then I flopped down on the opposite side of the bed.
The bed was big enough that even with Lily lying there, there was still plenty of space.
[Hey, Contractor.]
“Huh? What’s up?”
Silphy, who was usually quiet, began the conversation first. Normally, I would be the one to initiate, so this was unusual. I looked at her, pondering the reason.
Silphy’s face seemed filled with thoughts.
[Why are you so desperate?]
“Desperate?”
As I responded with confusion, Silphy gave a faint sigh as if feeling a bit exasperated.
[Yeah, most people would’ve passed out by now.]
“Well…”
Why was I so desperate, indeed.
The reason was simpler than I thought.
“I’m weak.”
Yeah, I am weak.
I could die from just one strike from Evan’s deadly blow, and I felt I should have died several times against the Emperor’s Hand. I had nearly fallen off a cliff due to an overwhelming monster.
I couldn’t even protect Lily beside me without relying on Abel’s power. She had to desperately fend off assassins for me to barely escape.
I couldn’t even save that one old woman who had rescued me.
Only when I was on the brink of death did I finally realize how weak I truly was.
[Are you afraid of not being able to protect?]
“Of course. It’s terrifying.”
My body trembled, and I could hardly gather my thoughts.
It was fear that stemmed from the memories of my life as Adele, as well as from my past life.
“Silphy. You know I don’t belong to this world, right?”
[..Yeah. I couldn’t not know. That’s how spirit communion works.]
It was something I could only feel when we shared the contract. It allowed me to catch glimpses of not just the other’s feelings but also some fragments of memories.
Which was exactly why I could express myself so freely. Nobody except Silphy would believe what I said.
Abel might think I was just joking if I dared to bring it up.
If that were to happen…
It could get quite tough.
[What do you think of that guy?]
That guy; she must be referring to Abel.
“He’s a gracious person.”
At first, I genuinely believed he was a terrifying person.
He easily cast people aside if they didn’t align with his goals, viewing humans merely as tools.
But as time passed, I realized how much he cared for himself.
His playful banter and his occasional gestures of consideration were all for his own benefit.
‘For the sake of the Este Trading Company, perhaps.’
If that were all, he wouldn’t have put so much effort into looking after me meticulously.
And he wouldn’t have gotten so angry during the Hunt Festival when I nearly lost my life.
That’s why I came to trust Abel. The reason I could feel that despite my deep-seated distrust of humans was because of how he treated me.
Most importantly, the sight of Abel helping me right before I might lose my life was truly admirable.
He looked like a knight saving a princess from a fairytale I used to adore when I was young.
“So, I want to grow stronger.”
I didn’t want to rely on Abel any longer. I had grown tired of being solely saved by him like a princess from those fairy tales.
On the contrary, I wanted to be a knight who could rescue him. I wanted to be a foundation he could rely on.
Even if it’s impossible now, I definitely wanted to become that sometime in the future.
‘…I really think about Abel a lot.’
If the me from a few months ago had read my thoughts, I might have been shocked. I would probably jump up and down, saying I was lying.
Thinking that made me chuckle.
Now, the House of Hardenberg felt like my home.
That’s how immense the changes over the past few months had been.
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