A Tryst is Always Sweet

On the way back to my room after finishing my conversation with Dver.

For some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, so I quietly headed to the empty lot behind the fortress.

It was so quiet around, with only the occasional chirping of insects, that I wanted to spend some time alone in contemplation.

“……?”

But as soon as I headed to the empty lot, I had to blink at the familiar face I saw in the distance.

There, Sylvia, who I thought was traveling in dreamland, was diligently focusing on her training.

I didn’t hear any sound, so I naturally assumed there was no one there, but it turned out she had set up a soundproof barrier and was pouring her energy into training even in the middle of the night.

“Sylvia.”

“K, Kyle…!?”

As I forcibly removed the soundproof barrier and spoke to her, she turned her head in surprise at the familiar voice that suddenly came so close.

It seemed she had only changed her clothes after dinner and started training, and as a result, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.

“Training is good, but if you overdo it, you’ll hurt yourself. You must be tired from the journey, so go back and get some rest today.”

“Hmph….”

“…Sylvia?”

As I offered her advice, the look she gave me was strangely sharp.

Sylvia stared at me intently, deliberately making a nasal sound as if for someone to hear.

Surprised by this, I called her name, and Sylvia turned her head away with a huff, puffing out her cheeks.

Wondering if I had done something wrong, I widened my eyes, and a sulky voice came from Sylvia’s mouth.

“I won’t listen to someone who doesn’t keep their promises.”

“Promises…? Ah.”

Only then did I realize my mistake and let out a sigh.

Come to think of it, I was supposed to use informal speech with Sylvia, but I had forgotten about it in the meantime.

It had become such a habit that it couldn’t be helped, but since Sylvia was sulking because of it, there was no room for excuses.

“I, I’m sorry. It’s become a habit, so it’s a bit difficult.”

“Hehe, I’m just kidding. You can make mistakes.”

As I hurriedly corrected myself, Sylvia smiled softly and shook her head.

‘I don’t think she’s kidding.’

But I didn’t really believe that she was joking.

No matter how I looked at it, her sulking expression just now was genuine, not acting.

I could be sure that it only ended at this level because I quickly realized my mistake and corrected it.

“More than that, what brings you here, Kyle?”

“My conversation with my father ended a bit late. I was going to go back to my room, but I didn’t feel like I could sleep.”

“I see. I felt the same way for some reason. I should be tired from the journey, though.”

Sylvia was strangely happy that I felt the same way as her, and she clapped her hands in agreement.

Thanks to our unexpected whims, we were able to have a secret rendezvous in the middle of the night, so it was a win-win situation.

Of course, neither of us said that out loud.

“Come to think of it, I’m late in thanking you. When I defeated the Archbishop, I was able to save my life thanks to you. I would have been dead without Sylvia’s help. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. It was something I had to do.”

Sylvia expressed humility with her words, but inside, she wanted to jump up and down with joy at my expression of gratitude.

Whether it was just my imagination, or simply because my tone had changed, or because my personality itself had changed.

I felt that my emotional expressions were a little clearer and more direct than before.

“But how did you do that? I’m sure it didn’t budge against any attacks….”

Recalling that time, a question suddenly popped up again, and I casually asked.

When the artifact that hadn’t been affected by my formidable magic suddenly shattered, I wondered what kind of harmony it was.

At the time, I was too flustered to question it, but now that I think about it, it’s a phenomenon that only leaves questions.

“Well, I don’t really know either.”

“You don’t know? Vermillion clearly said that you, Sylvia, asked for time to buy….”

I wondered if she was trying to avoid the topic because she didn’t want to talk about it, but seeing her shake her head with a bitter smile, it didn’t seem like it.

Sylvia added again to me, who was expressing my doubts.

“Yes, that’s true. But if you ask me ‘how did you do it?’, I can only answer ‘I don’t know.’ I really couldn’t figure out what the principle was.”

“Is it the power of the Mystic Eyes?”

“I guess so. For example….”

Sylvia pondered how to explain it and asked me to create a small barrier.

Wondering what kind of barrier it was, I was puzzled, but I created a translucent barrier that was visible to the naked eye in front of me as Sylvia wanted.

At that moment, the Mystic Eyes in Sylvia’s right eye began to emit a red glow.

“Since I started training with Kyle, I’ve started to see red spots on things from some point on.”

“Spots?”

“Yes, at first I didn’t really know what they were…. But one day, I was able to find out through a small experiment.”

‘For example,’ Sylvia put strength in her eyes, and instantly, blood vessels rose prominently around her eyes.

And soon, she concentrated her mind a little more.

Kaang─!

“……!?”

The translucent barrier that had been blocking the two of us shattered in an instant without any warning and scattered into fragments of light.

As I widened my eyes, Sylvia shrugged with a smile.

“It’s like this. Even if I don’t know the exact principle, it seems that this eye has the power to find the weaknesses of things and destroy them.”

“…That’s a formidable power.”

It was absurd enough to simply see the weaknesses, but the fact that it could be destroyed without having to touch it directly was almost a power comparable to the authority of God.

As I let out a word that was neither a sigh nor an exclamation due to the absurdity, Sylvia nodded and smiled bitterly.

“But I can’t use it freely. It seems to be a power similar to the canceling of mages. The more vast the power contained in an entity, the more stamina and mental strength are consumed.”

“I see….”

I nodded as if I understood.

It certainly has similarities to the canceling technique, which forcibly cancels the manifestation of another person’s magic.

That’s because forcibly canceling magic requires a vast amount of magic power equivalent to about twice the magic power originally required for that magic.

I don’t know how much stamina and mental strength the Mystic Eyes require, but considering that Sylvia also lost consciousness for a while immediately after the Archbishop completely collapsed, it wouldn’t be a small amount of consumption.

Moreover, it took a long time to use, so it’s definitely not a power that can be used freely.

If I had to say, it would be better to think of it as a hidden card.

“It’s good to know that it exists for now. Don’t use it recklessly, Sylvia.”

“I will. I don’t want to collapse again and cause you worry.”

It was fortunate that Anise was there, but if not, it wouldn’t have been strange if I hadn’t woken up for a while, so Sylvia didn’t intend to use this power often.

I should only think about it when the worst situation like last time happens.

“Come to think of it, Kyle, what’s that sword you’re wearing on your waist? It looks like a sword I’ve never seen before.”

As I nodded in agreement with Kyle’s opinion, Sylvia suddenly realized that the sword worn on his waist was quite different from the one he usually wore and blinked her eyes.

To put it bluntly, it looked a little older than the sword he used to wear.

It’s impossible to make an accurate judgment because the blade isn’t exposed, but from the handle to the surrounding decorations, it felt like it was slightly rusted from the ravages of time.

“It’s a sword I received from my father.”

“It looks a bit old, wouldn’t the sword you used to use be better?”

As far as Sylvia knew, the sword Kyle used to use was quite good.

In the Lyaird family, when a boy is born, he is given a sword as soon as he turns seven, and it was said to be a sword obtained from a fairly famous blacksmith to match that.

But why would he abandon that and switch to that old-looking sword?

At the sharp criticism, Kyle smiled bitterly and nodded.

“That’s true. But even so, it’s a sword used by Lord Tyrell.”

“What? Lord Tyrell… Are you talking about the Sword Saint?”

“That’s right.”

Sylvia was surprised when the name of a stranger, but familiar man even she knew, popped out.

Tyrell Franz.

The strongest swordsman in the history of the Empire, and the only man who was recognized as a Sword Saint by the Emperor of the time.

He was also the head of the Franz family, which was as famous as the Lyaird family as one of the Three Swords.

“Why does your father have the Sword Saint’s sword…?”

“I don’t know exactly either. It’s just that Lord Tyrell was said to be close to our great-great-grandfather. They exchanged swords and developed their skills. So I heard that they later presented each other with their beloved swords as a token of friendship. It was passed down through the generations, and my father had it.”

“Wow, that’s romantic.”

Sylvia exclaimed at the scene where she could see the strong friendship between the swordsmen, but on the other hand, she was curious.

It’s not like she’s seen Kyle using a sword that much recently.

Even if it was a sword used by a famous swordsman, wouldn’t a perfectly fine sword that he used to use be better than a sword that was at least 100 years old?

It wouldn’t be strange if Kyle admired the Sword Saint and decided to use his sword.

At least, in Sylvia’s opinion, Kyle wasn’t someone who would admire someone.

‘I will live as myself.’ Kyle Lyaird was a man who fit that phrase perfectly.

Well, of course, I didn’t want to add any more words since he said he would use it, so Sylvia just smiled and said it was good.

“Anyway, it’s quite late, so it’s time to go back to our rooms….”

“No way. Kyle came to find me first, so you have to hang out with me all night. Where are you trying to run away to? How can a man run away after making a woman feel desperate? Is that what a man should do?”

“Sylvia, please choose your words….”

After that, I had talked quite a bit, so I tried to run away at this point, but Sylvia hugged my arm and clung to me, so I ended up having to hang out with her until late at night.

In the end, the two of us overslept the next morning, and Dver had to misunderstand us again.