Chapter 196 - Conspiracy (12)

Thanks to presenting the Sword Master's letter, Sion agreed to accompany me more readily than expected. If the hidden content in the letter was related to the ball, I needed to bring Sion along and use the substantial gold coins to prepare her attire for the ball. Even if that wasn't the case, having Sion would make it easier to decode the contents.

Sion sat diagonally across from me, resting her chin on her hand and looking out the window.

Tap tap.

Meanwhile, a Stitch that showed cracks from being shattered once before tapped on my carriage window. It was from Silveryn.

I quickly snatched it before Sion could see the distorted heart engraved on the Stitch.

Soon after, Sion belatedly showed interest, "What's that?"

"A letter."

"From whom?"

Does she think it's from her master? Unfortunately, this is from Teacher.

"From my teacher."

I carefully unfolded the letter.

Silveryn left a message saying that if I wasn't confident about the ball, not attending was also a good option, along with asking me to write down the names of candidates I was considering as my ball partner. There was nothing else.

"You seem to exchange letters with your teacher quite often."

She seemed strangely envious.

"Just occasional messages."

"Is your teacher a Sword Master too?"

"No."

"I thought so."

"..."

"You didn't seem to have learned swordsmanship properly."

"What's different about learning under a Sword Master?"

Sion answered dismissively as if it was a foolish question, "It's different."

"How different is a Sword Master exactly?"

Sion suddenly turned her head and looked at me with shocked eyes for a moment.

For someone holding a position at one of the continent's top prestigious academies... it was an ignorant thing to say.

"What do you want to hear?"

"I've never encountered one directly. It might be every day for you, but ordinary people don't know much."

Sion thought quietly for a while and finally agreed with my words and answered my question, "Even if we both attacked, we couldn't win."

"Can you explain more vividly?"

"...Then you must know about the Royal Guard."

I shook my head.

"They're the Imperial Family's personal guard. They select only the best trainees with even stricter standards than Eternia, and only those who endure the most brutal training can become Royal Guards."

"Hmm."

"Though I hate to admit it, my master said there are many with talents surpassing mine. Even at that level, most die or drop out unable to pass the harsh training."

It was hard to believe that it was full of people surpassing Sion, who was one of the top talents even in Eternia. Wasn't it just her master exaggerating to break Sion's pride?

"..."

"There's no military group in the Empire that can match the Royal Guard. As direct executors of the Imperial Family, they complete any mission given, no matter what. Ask the students from the Empire. Their faces turn pale just at the mention of the Royal Guard."

"What do they mainly do?"

"It's simple. They eliminate traitors. Not on an individual level, but on a family level. No noble family, no matter how prestigious, has ever withstood the Royal Guard of about twenty members."

"Hmm."

"There's a rumor that the cost of raising ten of them is more than the taxes collected from an entire city. Their military prowess is so overwhelming that even the Imperial Family who raised them feared them at times. Sometimes they commit atrocities beyond what the Emperor ordered, and there's quite a bit of infamous history where they actually went out of the Imperial Family's control."

"What does that have to do with Sword Masters?"

Is she saying the Royal Guard is comparable to Sword Masters?

"There was exactly one case where the Royal Guard directly clashed with a Sword Master."

"..."

"Fifty years ago, a Sword Master named Rolangblanc suddenly visited the Imperial Palace to seek an audience with the Emperor. He had a few significant achievements, but he had long retired from the frontlines and was estimated to barely hold the last place among the ten Sword Masters, though he maintained the title."

"And then?"

"Rolangblanc went to rescue a princess from a small country he was friendly with, who had been captured as a prisoner of the Empire."

"Did they grant the Sword Master's request?"

"No. The Emperor used Rolangblanc as a cleaner to deal with the Empire's troublesome issues in exchange for releasing the prisoner. After using him thoroughly and having him complete all missions, they sent the Royal Guard to dispose of him. They thought that even a Sword Master couldn't handle the Empire's elite forces alone."

"What happened then?"

"Realizing peaceful methods wouldn't work, Rolangblanc killed the Royal Guard who came to assassinate him. He one-sidedly tore them apart with an ordinary rusty sword."

"Then he stormed the Imperial Palace, dragged out the remaining Royal Guard, and tore them limb from limb. And then he walked proudly on two feet into the prison, rescued the prisoner, and left."

"..."

"It wasn't that the Royal Guard only had weak members. There were quite a few legends still talked about today. The Twin Sword Pianist, Noah of the Light Sword, Barunia who killed the Great Beast of Norton Island... They all died miserably, to the point of disbelief. That's what a Sword Master is. Unless faced with someone of equal skill, they can kill anyone in this world if they want, and conversely, they can protect their loved ones from any threat."

Even just hearing this brief story left quite an impression.

"...It's an impressive anecdote, but if it was to that extent, shouldn't it have been widely spread?"

"Of course, it wasn't well-known in the Empire because it's a history of humiliation. I heard it directly from my master. Well, there are still records of Rolangblanc in Sankrotis, so if you doubt it, go look it up yourself."

The region famous for apple pie, Sankrotis, was now part of the Empire. It seemed Rolangblanc rescued the princess but wasn't interested in preventing her country from falling.

"Is that swordsman still alive?"

"No. He died of old age."

Sion turned her gaze back to the window and muttered as if to herself.

"I heard there's a last disciple of Rolangblanc among Eternia's graduates..."

"Who?"

"...Kedwen. I wish he would visit Eternia again sometime."

Sion made a bitter expression. Surely she wasn’t regretting not being able to face him directly?

With those words, she closed her mouth.

Kedwen. It was a name I felt I had heard in passing somewhere. Even racking my brain, I couldn't remember exactly where I had heard it.

***

"Thirty gold coins...?" I asked again in front of the herb merchant.

Sion tried to persuade me as I hesitated to pay readily.

"The smell is real. Well, thirty gold coins is actually cheap."

Sion seemed indifferent.

I had to spend half of the gold coins received from the Sword Master to buy shade grass powder. Though it wasn't originally my money, I couldn't help but be sensitive about losing an amount that could cover my living expenses for three or four months.

As we left the shop after making the purchase, Sion said, "Just soak the letter in water mixed with appropriate dye and shade grass powder for about a day. I've helped all I can, so tell me any news about my master."

Then she stretched, raising her clothes enough to show her navel.

I didn't particularly want to see it, but there was a hole in the side of her training clothes big enough to fit a thumb.

When I peeked earlier, all her clothes seemed to be just training outfits. Surely she wouldn't wear something like this to the ball?

There was a lot of money left... and it looked pitiful, so it was right to take action. Knowing her, she would definitely come out without paying attention to her appearance.

As Sion started to walk off somewhere by herself, I immediately followed and grabbed her.

"Not yet."

"...What?"

"We have another place to go together."

It was the row of custom clothing shops in the center of Rigved.

***

It was evening, with the sun almost set. After finishing the day's activities with Sion, I returned to the Eternia campus. Sion, who I had dragged to the clothing store and barely persuaded to have her measurements taken, escaped to the dormitory as soon as we returned. Following Sion's advice, I headed to the Art Club greenhouse to get dye.

Someone was still there late into the evening.

Thanks to the walls and ceiling being entirely made of glass, the light coming from the greenhouse could be seen from afar.

Given that it wasn't class time, they were surely painting.

I approached the greenhouse and checked who was inside. Zenia, with her left foot bandaged, was working alone.

When I opened the door and entered, she sensed my presence and turned her head.

"What, First-year?"

"Are you working until this late?"

"Yeah, I'm just feeling a bit unsettled."

I brought a chair and sat next to her.

Zenia's painting was full of unrecognizable shapes. It looked like she had filled the canvas with just sketches.

"What are you painting?"

"It's an expression of my complex state of mind. How is it, can you feel my worries?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why can't you feel it? Someone with a lot of worries would empathize with my painting."

"I have plenty of worries... but no matter how I look at the painting, I can't understand it."

"Fine. Then express yours verbally. What worries do you have, First-years?"

Worries, huh? There is one. 

But it was a sensitive matter that I wasn't sure if I should mention.

"At the ball..."

As I hesitated for a moment, Zenia urged me on.

"What is it? Go on."

"Um... is it okay to choose two people?"

Zenia's hand stopped abruptly while painting. Then she said seriously, "First-year."

"Yes."

"Are you trash?"

"..."

"That's funny. Not content with being my ball partner... you're eyeing Haley too?"

"...?"

"Do you really want to lose your balls? Huh?"

"..."

"I'm joking, First-year."

"That was a bit creepy."

"Well, about the two people... since the ball is divided into two parts, it's not impossible. Even if the banquet hall is spacious, it's impossible for all those students to dance at once."

"So it's theoretically possible, at least."

"Yes. But there's a moral issue. The other partner would be deeply hurt if they saw that. Especially if it's their first ball in life."

"Can you explain in more detail?"

"Well, imagine I accepted your invitation thinking of something more than just a dance partner, but you just chose me as someone to enjoy briefly before switching... it would be quite a shock."

"I see."

"Actually, there are always some guys who secretly dance with other girls every year."

"How would you feel if your partner did that?"

"I'd be very angry, but well, since my partner is popular, I'd have to accept it to some extent. As long as he treats me as the top priority... and doesn't choose my close friend, I could accept it to some degree."

"..."

So the priority was not getting caught, and even if caught, there was room for leniency if one showed closeness to their partner.

I felt quite ugly for thinking this way, but it couldn't be helped. Cecil might cut ties with me if things went wrong, and Luna's heart which was just starting to open might close again. The only escape route was this dirty behind-the-scenes work.

"Thank you for the advice, Senior. Of course, I wasn't saying I would dance with two people."

Zenia spoke in a playful tone, "That's right. I'll be watching you."

This time there was also intelligence about it being a masquerade ball... it might be easier than I thought.

So then... who should I call first between the two?