The Drinking Sage 24

“Sword Star.”

“…”

“Sword Star. Please wake up.”

Even after repeating myself, the Sword Star’s eyes remained closed.

She was sleeping very comfortably in my bed. The colloquial term ‘sound sleep’ came to mind.

‘No choice, I suppose.’

I placed my hand on her and shook her body.

“…”

Rinet was giving me an unfriendly look as I did this.

‘Does she dislike even this level of physical contact?’

I did it because she wasn’t someone who could be awakened by words alone. But Rinet wouldn’t understand that.

“Sword Star. Please wake up. I have returned.”

“…Uah…”

Silvia raised her body sluggishly.

It was a mysterious thing that despite sleeping so long, there wasn’t a speck of sleep in her eyes. Her beauty hadn’t faded at all despite just waking up.

Silvia opened her eyes, remained still for a few seconds, then recognized me and mumbled quietly.

“…You’re back?”

“Yes.”

“I see… You finally came back.”

Haaaam- Silvia opened her small mouth and yawned.

Rinet’s eyes looked ominous when she heard the word “finally.”

However.

As if to show this was just the beginning, Silvia.

Dropped bomb after bomb.

“Huah… You were gone so long that your scent had completely disappeared. It was such a waste, so I stayed in the bed. But it should be fine now.”

“…W-what did you say…?!”

There was no emotion in Silvia’s expression.

Truly nothingness. It meant she hadn’t put any personal desire into the statement she had just made.

From Silvia’s perspective, she truly just meant ‘the scent was gone and that was a pity, but now it’s fine.’

Even for me, who can interpret emotions with Dragon Eyes, her psychology was completely incomprehensible.

Anyway.

“Y-you…! How can a woman speak so casually about such things?!”

Rinet’s rage suggested there was room for misunderstanding.

Silvia’s gaze turned toward the angry voice.

As if just now realizing Rinet was there, the Sword Star’s eyes blankly scanned the Saint, and.

She dropped her third bomb.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m the Saint! Why are you pretending not to know me after seeing me at the entrance ceremony!”

“Don’t remember.”

“Eeeek…!”

Rinet stomped her feet, unable to contain her anger.

Regardless, Silvia showed no interest in Rinet at all.

“Huuu….”

The sound of someone catching their breath. Rinet closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then opening her eyes, she pointed her finger at Silvia with a sharp tap.

“Let’s have a talk.”

Her emotionally charged words carried a pressure that made refusal impossible.

A tone that would make even the most self-centered person read the room.

As expected of a Saint. She must know how to make subordinates follow her.

However.

“Why should I?”

Her opponent was also a renowned figure.

Sword Star Silvia pushed back against the pressure, unconcerned.

“I have nothing to talk about with you.”

“Well, I have plenty to discuss?!”

“So what?”

Unable to watch any longer, I stepped in to mediate.

“Saint. Please calm down. Getting angry will only hurt yourself.”

“B-but…”

Seeing Rinet on the verge of tears, trailing off her words, I turned my attention to Silvia.

“And Sword Star.”

“Yeah?”

“You should moderate yourself as well.”

“?”

The Sword Star tilted her head. She showed no sign of understanding what I meant.

“What?”

“I know you’re someone who lives as you please. However, that shouldn’t inconvenience others.”

“Hmm…”

Silvia tilted her head again.

She seemed to understand the nuance of what I was trying to convey.

But her silver eyes quietly asked me.

‘Why should I?’

Can’t be helped.

I added with a sigh.

“If you find it difficult to accept, could you at least listen for my sake? Is even that impossible?”

“Hmm- No.”

Only then did Silvia get up.

Slowly approaching Rinet with a blank face, she muttered.

“If you say so. I’ll do it.”

“…”

Rinet’s eyes looked as if she might devour Silvia, making me worry whether their conversation would go well.

 

Three people seated around a reception table.

Silvia and Rinet faced each other across the table.

There was one additional point to note.

“…Why are you sitting there?”

“Hm?”

My seat was right next to Silvia.

Instead of each of us taking one side of the table.

The arrangement had become Silvia and me as a pair with Rinet sitting on the opposite side.

It was natural for Rinet to ask in a sharp tone.

Silvia just cocked her head and.

“This spot next to him is my place.”

“…!”

Rinet bit her lip and raised her voice.

“Sword Star. What kind of mindset does a lady have to enter a male student’s room and live together? The Academy would punish you if they found out.”

“Really? That’s troublesome.”

Whether it was truly troublesome.

With no inflection in her voice, it was unreadable.

“Loran told me not to do things that would lose him points. Haaam…”

“L-Loran…?! Who are you to call him by his name so casually?!”

“Do you need qualifications to call someone by their name?”

Regardless of what the Saint said, the Sword Star’s attitude remained unchanged.

‘What business is it of yours?’

Even without saying it, it was unmistakable.

Since the Saint wasn’t a fool.

Kka-deuk.

An ominous sound came from Rinet’s teeth.

Sharp hostility filled her ash-colored pupils. Seeing Silvia’s attitude, she seemed determined to abandon all courtesy.

“…Aha. So that’s how you want to play it?”

“?”

She must have felt that knife-like hostility.

Silvia stopped yawning and cast her gaze at Rinet.

Rinet’s tongue began its assault. Like swatting away a fly that had approached her honey pot.

“I can guess what happened. You probably forced yourself on His Highness. Saying you’ll stay by his side. That you’ll sleep together.”

“…”

My eyes widened. She had pinpointed the cause with remarkable accuracy.

It would be difficult to infer with just fragmentary information. A surprisingly quick and confident accusation.

The Sword Star had no reaction. Perceiving this as close to affirmation, Rinet’s tongue continued its dance.

The purpose of that dance was singular.

“Well, that makes sense. What man would willingly be close to an ill-mannered woman like you? Without such methods, you couldn’t even dream of being by anyone’s side.”

Scratching at the heart.

Making the scratched mark bleed.

Making someone feel ‘dirty.’

That was all.

“…”

The atmosphere rapidly chilled.

Silvia’s eyes, which had shown no reaction until now, turned white.

“You.”

Something had upset her.

It was still difficult for me to guess which part it was. The Saint’s smoking had its pain behind it. This must be similar.

However.

“You speak carelessly.”

Unlike Rinet, Silvia had no intention of sparing someone who touched her pain.

Mana formed into blades. Sword-like shapes flickered around Silvia’s body.

“Shall I do the same to you?”

Simultaneously, Rinet’s body began to glow white. A concentration of holy power.

Left like this, a fight would begin. A fight that wouldn’t stop until one side died.

Haah-

Just before the clash occurred.

I sighed deeply and intervened.

“Enough.”

The fierce aura subsided a little.

Seeing both their gazes turn to me.

I slowly moved my lips.

“Saint. This is unlike you. Please calm your heart.”

“…”

“I understand your distress. I also know that there’s no consideration in the Sword Star’s words.”

“…But why?”

“How could you act like this, Saint? It’s because of your feelings toward me. However.”

I met her ash-colored pupils.

I didn’t know how much this would resonate with her, but.

“The Sword Star didn’t act with the intent you’re worried about.”

“…”

Rinet motioned with her chin. A sign to continue.

“It’s presumptuous to say this in her presence, but she knows nothing. She is, literally, a blank slate. It’s not ‘competition,’ that’s what I mean.”

“…She doesn’t know?”

“Yes.”

A bitter smile formed on my lips.

I couldn’t help it. Even I didn’t realize the Sword Star was such an extraordinary person.

‘She had no emotions.’

Dragon Eyes see the mana within humans. Emotions and psychology contained in mana are no exception.

I can speak so directly because I saw it with Dragon Eyes. Recently, as my Dragon Blood power has strengthened, my Dragon Eyes have been enhanced, allowing me to see more clearly.

The emotions I observed in Silvia were simple.

Nothingness.

There were no thoughts whatsoever.

‘She’s different from me.’

While I feel emotions faintly but still recognize them.

In the Sword Star’s case, no emotions existed beyond the bare minimum necessary. She herself didn’t even seem to have awakened to the concept of emotions.

In other words, from Silvia’s perspective, all of Rinet’s words would have sounded incomprehensible.

“…”

Rinet pouted her lips. Having calmed her holy power, she asked sulkily.

“…So? Is it my fault?”

‘Won’t you take my side?’

I couldn’t miss that subtly questioning intent.

I turned to Silvia. She had also calmed her power and resumed her blank expression.

“Sword Star. You’re greatly at fault too. Do you understand?”

“…What did I do?”

Her words came out bluntly. She seemed unaware of what she had done wrong.

Nevertheless.

I could tell she was subtly watching my reaction.

“Don’t you want to be by my side? Was your goal to make me uncomfortable?”

“…Of course not.”

“Then, you shouldn’t behave that way. You can’t inconvenience others just because you want to do something.”

I admonished her.

She might not sympathize with my words. But even so, I would understand.

It’s difficult to make Silvia, who doesn’t feel emotions, comprehend ‘why’ she shouldn’t act that way.

However.

“If you don’t want to hurt my feelings, please comply.”

Even if she can’t understand, I can make her act.

It’s a simple principle.

Children are too young to understand morality. Even if told not to do something, they don’t understand why they should suppress their desires.

But when parents admonish them, they realize.

‘Oh, I shouldn’t do that.’

“…”

Silvia quietly closed her mouth.

After seeming to ponder for a moment.

Eventually, she bowed her head.

“…Sorry.”

For her, it was an extremely expressive posture and tone.

The Sword Star clearly apologized with her own mouth.

“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“…”

The scene was just like a younger sister apologizing to her older sister.

After moving her lips for a while.

“…I understand.”

Rinet accepted the apology.

‘Whew.’

I sighed inwardly, relieved that the situation seemed well resolved.

When women of the caliber of the Saint and Sword Star were on the verge of crossing swords, I couldn’t be at ease.

‘It must be my lack of virtue.’

Things would improve if I conducted myself better.

I was just thinking I should lighten the mood and gradually see Rinet out.

“Then you sit beside him too.”

“…Pardon?”

Rinet blankly questioned Silvia’s sudden remark.

Silvia continued without batting an eye.

“You want to be next to Loran too, right? You can just sit down.”

“…N-no, no! That’s not it!”

Rinet jumped up in surprise. Wudang-tang, the innocent chair tumbled to the floor.

“I-I-I never thought anything like that! I definitely wasn’t thinking about sitting on his lap or anything!”

“? What are you talking about?”

Not understanding her words, Silvia tilted her head.

It was truly a conversation with an unpredictable flow, but.

‘This is better now.’

A smile formed on my lips.

I didn’t want to see these women crossing swords with me in the middle.

It was fortunate.

“…”

Just then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Surely this won’t happen again.’

It couldn’t be.

I decided to believe that.