Chapter 229 - Black Footprint (4)

When the set time came, her eyes naturally opened. It had become ingrained in her body after months of working as a maid.

Liria stretched and lit a candle. Silveryn's mansion where she stayed was a converted castle, so there was much to be taken care of.

Last week, a hornet's nest was found on the first-floor balcony, and a mage was hired to remove it. This week, they repaired places where rainwater was leaking.

Since Damian had difficulty managing the mansion due to his studies, the butler and maid had to take care of everything.

She sat on the bed, thoroughly combed her hair, and changed into her maid uniform.

Then she opened the window to start the day. She involuntarily made a sound when she discovered something unexpected in the outside scenery.

"Huh?"

A carriage was parked in front of the main gate. It meant that Damian had gone out and returned to the mansion.

"...Master Damian!"

In her excitement, she put aside all other tasks and ran straight to Damian's room.

***

"Mmm. It's hot..."

Cecil threw off the clothes she was wearing like a sleep habit while her head throbbed with a hangover.

Her body was sweaty, and she kicked off the thick blanket, but the heat didn't subside. Annoyed, she threw off the top she was wearing. It was an unconscious habit from when she was at home.

Then, feeling a strange sense of discomfort, Cecil slowly opened her eyes.

"...Where is this?"

High ceilings and rough stone walls. Curtains and carpets decorated the harsh interior atmosphere to make it brighter. A clear horizon was visible beyond the balcony. Everything was unfamiliar.

The fireplace was full of firewood, heating the interior.

"Ah, right. Yesterday's alcohol..."

Realizing it was the mansion of Archmage Professor Silveryn, she got up.

She lightly stretched her body and took off her sweat-soaked underwear, throwing it onto the bed.

"Whose room is this?"

Then she rummaged through the nearby wardrobe drawers.

White shirt, white shirt, white shirt.

It was full of men's shirts.

"Ugh, it's hot."

She took out a towel from the last drawer, wiped the sweat under her breasts, and threw it on the bed.

"Is this Damian's room?"

She approached the desk without wearing any clothes. There was dried ink and an unfinished letter.

"To Professor Silveryn..."

That was all that was written on the first line, with nothing following.

"It is Damian's."

Bored, she went to the mirror next to the bed. Then she admired her body. She lifted her leg once and slightly turned to check her side profile.

"To have to rot in a research lab cubbyhole without using this great body..."

Just then, she heard someone's hurried footsteps from outside.

That unfamiliar presence didn't give Cecil even a moment's time and immediately flung the door open.

"Master Damian!"

"...?"

Naked Cecil and Liria faced each other. Cecil showed no signs of being shaken despite encountering an unfamiliar person while defenseless.

After a brief exchange of glances, Liria spoke first, "Who... are you?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Master Damian's maid, but who are you to be here? And in such a rude state..."

"I'm Damian's friend. Why are you opening the master's door without knocking?"

"Master Damian is usually awake at this time. And he gave me permission to do this."

"I didn't come here on my own, Damian left me here. So do what you need to do and go."

Cecil struck a pose in front of the mirror, disregarding Liria's glaring blue eyes.

"Please... put on some clothes. This is Lady Silveryn's mansion, so please maintain decorum. And Master Damian might come soon."

She ignored Liria and muttered while pinching her thigh.

"Have I gained a little weight...?"

"Excuse me...!"

Cecil sighed deeply, took out a shirt from the drawer, and put it on over her naked body.

"I've covered all the important parts, so it's fine, right?"

Liria said in an annoyed voice, "If there are no women's clothes, I'll bring you my maid uniform."

Cecil ignored Liria's words and stood in front of the mirror again, admiring how the clothes fit.

"Does it look too bu~lky because of my chest? If I do this..."

Then she tightened the clothes to fit her waistline.

"Excuse me!"

Only then did Cecil turn around, look Liria up and down, and say, "Kids' clothes won't fit me."

Liria replied with a slightly intimidated expression, "We have big ones too! And are you pretending to be an adult when you don't even have a single hair?"

"You look at this body and still think I'm a kid?"

Just then, the sound of boots echoed in the corridor.

Damian had returned to his room after finishing his morning training.

He stood in front of the door with his upper body soaked in sweat.

"What are you doing?"

"I..."

"Ah, Damian!"

Damian's gaze turned towards Cecil.

After confirming her appearance, he pulled Liria out and closed the door without greeting.

Bang!

Then he said to Liria in the corridor,

"Liria, among Professor Silveryn's clothes... there's a dress she doesn't wear because she spilled wine on it, right?"

"Ah... yes."

"Please bring that."

Liria's face was completely downcast. There were even slight tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Did my friend say something to you?"

"...Yes. No, it's nothing. More importantly, I came to give you this..."

Liria belatedly handed Damian the black letter she had taken from the fireplace.

"Did this come in pieces originally?"

"No... I accidentally tore it while cleaning... I'm sorry."

Damian briefly checked the contents and said, "Is that why you're tearing up?"

"Ah, no. I mean. Eeeng..."

"Then did you fight with my friend?"

"No. It's not that either..."

"I understand. There's nothing to be sorry about. This letter, if it weren't for Liria, I wouldn't have found it in the first place. You did something really important, so I should be thanking you instead. Don't worry about it being torn, just go."

"Yes, I'll be going."

After Liria left, Cecil opened the door and poked her head out slightly.

"Damian, I found something strange in your room."

"Right now, the strangest thing in my room is you."

"This. I found really long white hair under the bed! Whose is it?"

"I guess a guest I don't know visited."

"Really? That's boring. Ah, that little one, does she work here?"

"Yes."

"She was cute."

"It seemed like you two were bickering."

"No, nothing happened. She's cute."

"You didn't fight?"

"I said we didn't, didn't I?"

"I'll... bring you clothes. Wait inside."

"Does the shirt suit me well?"

"I'll bring everything you need. Stay in there."

Cecil said triumphantly, "You probably don't have underwear that fits me, right?"

"I do."

"...What? Whose is it? The maid's?"

Damian avoided Cecil's gaze.

"No? Then..."

Cecil sensed something and trailed off.

"I have Art Club class. And I need to train again in the afternoon."

"Do you need to be so diligent with the Art Club? It's not like you'll fall behind if you skip it. Let's play a little more. Hmm? Show me around the mansion too!"

"No."

Damian hurriedly left.

Cecil shouted at the departing Damian, "How do you know the professor's size!"

Damian's footsteps quickened. Cecil muttered alone with a blank expression, "...Was it real?"

***

After reading Amaryllis' letter, I was shocked for a while.

To think that Priscilla was actually the soul of a mage named Nocturne.

I informed Callios about this fact as well. Priscilla's identity. And the story about Meihen and the Mist City.

Callios briefly skimmed through the letter for a few seconds and handed it back to me. His reaction was as if he had been expecting it. Feeling strange, I asked, "Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't know. But I had a vague intuition."

"Then isn't it correct that a human soul is inside?"

"No, you don't know why the Land of Death is called the Land of Death. Priscilla is not human. She had become a being that could hardly be called human long before becoming a magic sword. No human exists in that land breathing normally. This unidentified woman, Amaryllis, is probably the same."

"..."

"Let me emphasize, don't think of Priscilla as human. Once she became a magic sword, it's irreversible forever. You can't save her either. A sword is a partner to entrust your life to, but sometimes it's also a consumable that needs to be discarded or sacrificed as needed. The moment you think of the sword as human, hesitation arises, and because of the momentary gap created by that, your neck might fly off."

Thinking it through carefully, there was nothing wrong with Callios' words. Priscilla is not human, wasn't human before becoming a magic sword, and I can't save her. And a magic sword functions as a tool to protect my life. Sympathy for the pitiful girl, Nocturne... sadly, it's best to bury it.

"...I understand."

"This is a good sign. Haven't you figured out who sent you the magic sword? There's no rush, just slowly take in the information this woman gives you over time."

"Is there no way to find Amaryllis?"

"That's why I'm telling you to get close to Priscilla. There are no maps of the Land of Death, and they can't be made. Humans who set foot there have all their senses disrupted, so it's impossible to find a targeted place. Just knowing the place name Meihen doesn't mean humans in this land can do anything."

"..."

"But Priscilla is different. Since she came from the Land of Death, she's as good as the best guide. The only being that can lead you to Amaryllis is Priscilla."

"...Did she say nothing to you, Professor?"

"Did it look to you like Priscilla and I got along well? I've passed on the troublemaker to you, and now I can breathe easier."

Thinking back to when Callios fought disguised as the magic sword hunter, every time he used Priscilla, his body clashed with resistance. Not to mention Gale.

"Priscilla almost shattered your arm, didn't she?"

"My arm doesn't shatter from something like that. Of course, it did put a strain on me. Anyway, she doesn't have good compatibility with me, and in your hands, she's quiet like a shy girl. No one but you can handle her."

"When I can communicate with Priscilla... I'll have to go to the Land of Death, won't I?"

"If that's absolutely necessary. If what you can gain there is worth exchanging for your life. Then, you'll have to choose whether to go or not."

"..."

"Now then, let's begin. There's no rush, nothing will happen immediately even if we train leisurely. And Eternia won't send you alone to the Land of Death."

"Will there be anyone willing to accompany me?"

"There's not a single person in this world who goes there because they like it. They go because it's something someone has to do."

"..."

"Now, focus on emptying your mind again."

And Callios started picking up stones to throw at him again.

"How long does it take to move on to the next step?"

"Some people take over a decade, and there are many who can't do it even if they dedicate more than that."

"...Is there no way to shorten it? I can't be doing this until graduation, can I?"

"If you have God-given talent and all conditions are met, it might take three years."

"That's still a long way off."

Callios said teasingly, "Indeed. Why didn't you meet me a little earlier?"

"..."

Damian sat on the ground and closed his eyes. And he focused on his breathing again.

"To be honest, I have expectations for you."

"...About what?"

"About what kind of record you'll set."

"...?"

Callios threw a stone with killing intent, as he always did.

Damian still couldn't react.

After holding his breath for a few seconds, he threw the next stone.

"Hmm."

Callios narrowed his eyes with a serious expression. He had caught Damian's eyebrow twitching faintly when he emitted killing intent.

"Did you hear a sound?"

When he asked, Damian slowly opened his eyes and said with a clueless expression, "What... sound do you mean?"

***

Cecil returned to the Witdruff Hall dormitory after finishing her afternoon schedule. She had completed all the studying she needed to do that day, but there was still something to be done.

The clothes and underwear she had borrowed were all Silveryn's. Although Cecil was braver than most, it wasn't very appealing to take possession of an archmage like Silveryn's things at will.

She changed into casual clothes and neatly folded the clothes borrowed from the mansion into a basket.

Then she headed to Damian's room located at the end of the 3rd floor of Witdruff Hall. Just as she was about to put the basket down in front of the door and leave, she heard someone's voice.

"What's that?"

"Ah, you startled me."

Luna was standing in the corridor, glaring at Cecil without anyone noticing.

"I asked... what that is."

"What do you mean, what? If you're curious, look for yourself."

"...What did you do with Damian yesterday?"

Cecil frowned. It seemed like she was crossing a line by meddling in other people's dates at every turn.

"What do you think? When a man and woman go on a date, get completely drunk, and go home together, what do you think happens? Think about it."

"..."

Luna's pupils shook greatly. Then she froze in place as if her breath had stopped.

Cecil ignored Luna and brushed past her as she left.