Chapter 56
Sion returned to her residence.
A dark living room with the lights off. The only furniture was a dining table and one chair. The candle she had lit before leaving had long since died out.
Though it was one of the finest mansions in Rigbed, there was no one to welcome her.
Her master had left for the Holy City where the Holy Maiden resided, leaving only a letter behind due to urgent business during her entrance exam.
Whenever her master was away, she was always alone. She had long grown accustomed to the silence. She never had a family to welcome her in the first place, and due to her unsociable nature, she had no friends to exchange letters with.
Swallowing loneliness alone wasn't difficult. She had grown up alone since childhood.
She had trained and trained again during her days of begging for food in the slums.
Sion sat in front of the fireplace and lit a fire. Then, she took out the rye bread she had bought on her way home.
Though wrapped in rolled paper, the rain had seeped in, making it damp.
She didn't mind much since she hadn't bought it to enjoy the taste anyway.
So Sion bit into the bread while watching the flames in the fireplace.
Time not spent training with her sword was spent like this, sitting in silence and solitude.
This was better than meaningless stimulation and interaction.
So, there would be no change in her daily life.
At least until the entrance ceremony.
***
The servants were loading more luggage.
Belongings were being neatly stacked in a corner of the carriage. With herbs piled high on one seat, we would be smelling plants the entire journey back.
Everything on the list had finally been gathered. Thanks to Ella separately preparing plenty of expensive or rare items.
Liria yawned in front of the carriage, rubbing her eyes with messy hair.
I looked at the main gate after finishing preparations.
Despite the early morning hour, Ella had come out to see us off.
I approached her to say goodbye, "We'll be going now. Thank you for everything."
"Yes, your master will be busy for a while now. When you need help, and she's not around, come find me."
"I'll definitely remember that."
"Please tell Silveryn to properly reply to letters."
"...I will."
I bowed to Ella and got into the carriage.
The carriage was so full of luggage that Liria and I had to sit squeezed together, shoulders to shoulder. Due to the wet road surface, the carriage slowly made its way out of Rigbed.
Liria nodded off for about an hour before finally falling into a deep sleep, her head resting on my shoulder.
The carriage arrived at the mansion around noon.
Liria got out of the carriage and stretched.
The mansion was usually quiet, but today, it felt even more so.
The visitors who were supposed to come for some unpleasant matter seemed to have all left, but the heavy atmosphere remained.
I helped the servants move the luggage to the crafting room and sorted everything so we could start production right away.
After roughly organizing everything, I headed to the Master Room to see Silveryn.
I knocked on her door but received no response. When I asked the butler, he told me Silveryn had stepped out and wouldn't return until evening.
With time to spare, I took Liria to the crafting room and immediately began potion modification work. Though I felt somewhat sorry for Liria, I didn't want to delay even a day.
I copied only the parts I needed from Zveref's recipe and handed it to Liria.
This work required considerable attention as even Liria was unfamiliar with the ingredients and manufacturing methods.
We spent quite some time struggling with unfamiliar alchemy symbols and refining techniques, consulting alchemy books.
Time flew by, and evening came.
I thought I could meet Silveryn then, but she didn't appear for dinner.
I asked the butler again, "Where is Teacher?"
"She seems to want no company. And... she ordered that no one should visit her room."
When had she returned to the mansion? This was strange. It wasn't like the usual Silveryn.
"Does that include me as well?"
"She didn't specify about that particular point."
Since she said no one should come, I suppose that included me. What could have happened to cause such a change in Silveryn's mood?
She usually always came out to greet me and ask how things went when I returned from somewhere.
After dinner, I devoted myself again to potion making and alchemy studies.
I sent Liria to her room early and stayed alone in the crafting room until moonrise. I found it hard to concentrate, constantly worried about Silveryn.
At midnight, I went to the courtyard to stretch.
I looked up at where the Master Room was located.
A faint light was leaking from the window.
Is Silveryn still awake?
After staring at the window for a while, I made up my mind and strode into the mansion.
I climbed the stairs and stood before Silveryn's door.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked.
Knock, knock
No sound came.
"Teacher, it's me."
After a moment, Silveryn's voice came through, "...Come in."
Opening the door and entering, I saw Silveryn in a nightgown, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.
"What brings you here?"
"I felt I hadn't properly greeted you since returning."
Silveryn smiled weakly.
"Only coming now?"
"...Did something happen, Teacher?"
"Why? Are you worried about me? Is that why you came?"
Did she not want to talk about it?
Perhaps my presence wasn't helpful.
"Am I bothering you, Professor...?"
"No..."
Silveryn took a breath and said, "You're sweet."
"..."
"I'm going to sleep now. I'm tired."
Silveryn opened her jewelry box drawer and removed her rings and earrings, putting them all away.
Only her necklace remained around her neck.
"I'll head back then."
As I turned to leave after saying goodbye, suddenly, the door slammed shut by itself.
"No, stay here."
Silveryn had closed it with magic.
A thousand thoughts raced through my mind for a moment.
She staggered to the bed and slipped under the covers.
Lying down facing the side, she patted the edge of the bed.
"Come here."
I slowly approached Silveryn.
Then, I sat down on the floor beside the bed, at eye level with her.
Her face was close enough to feel her breath. Looking at her this close, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and I could smell grape wine on her breath.
There was a slight intoxication in Silveryn's eyes.
To think Silveryn would drink alcohol.
"Yes, stay sitting like that."
"Yes."
"What did you do today?"
"I made potions."
"Did Ella give you trouble?"
Though she had, Silveryn seemed upset and I didn't want to stir things up unnecessarily.
"She treated me very well. She even prepared expensive ingredients for me."
"...That's good."
I'd never seen her look so weak before. Just watching made me uneasy.
Silveryn stared at my face with tired eyes before speaking, "Disciple..."
"Yes, what is it?"
Silveryn's hand slowly approached like a crawling caterpillar.
"I can't sleep... stay here until I fall asleep."
Silveryn's eyes were slowly blinking. Despite her words, she looked like she would fall asleep at any moment.
"Yes, I'll stay here."
Silveryn's right hand slowly worked its way into my left hand, resting on the edge of the bed.
Slowly but firmly, her fingers pushed between mine.
"..."
A warm, soft sensation was transmitted through our interlocked fingers. Silveryn spoke to me, "Promise me... Promise me you won't leave before I fall asleep..."
"I promise."
"Promise what?"
"...I promise I won't leave before you fall asleep, Teacher."
"Again..."
"I promise I won't leave before you fall asleep, Teacher."
"Good... well done... my disciple..."
Silveryn's voice grew increasingly weak.
"Otherwise... otherwise... I'll... take you to Wiesel’s... underground prison..."
"What?"
Silveryn's words trailed off as she closed her eyes. Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep, breathing peacefully and evenly.
***
Silveryn woke to the gentle morning sunlight stinging her eyes.
As consciousness returned, the first thing she felt was a tingling sensation between her fingers.
"..."
Damian had fallen asleep and slumped over the edge of the bed, still holding the hand she had grabbed the night before.
Silveryn recalled what she had said the previous night. Though she had been slightly drunk, she remembered most of it.
She hadn't expected him to stay up all night watching over her just because she'd said that...
She knew Damian had a tendency to act recklessly, but she hadn't anticipated it manifesting like this.
"You really are a fool..."
He was certainly an odd fellow. Few people in the world could make Silveryn this flustered.
She quickly grabbed Damian's arms and pulled him up onto the bed.
She laid him beside her and held him tight under the covers.
Silveryn warmed Damian's body, which had grown cold during the night, with her own body heat.
His foolishness made him even more endearing.
After warming him for a few minutes, she slipped out of bed first.
She stood in front of her vanity and lightly tidied her messy hair with her hands.
Then, she stared absently at the mirror, lost in thought for a moment.
As if suddenly remembering something, she opened a box containing red cosmetics.
Then, dabbing with her little finger, she applied it thickly to her lips.
She pursed and relaxed her lips a few times in front of the mirror, then looked back at the bed.
Damian was in a deep sleep, oblivious to the world.
A smile slowly bloomed on Silveryn's face as she looked at him.