episode_0004

“This is invalid!!”

“David.. You don’t have to try so hard to be ugly like that.. No matter who sees it, the winner is Kidney Youngsik. Oh, honestly, I was a little surprised. David, in his own way, trained as a knight, ate, and learned swordsmanship, but he easily won.”

“Haha.. That’s right. I was lucky.”

“Luck? What luck! You must have used some trick! Or else my sword wouldn’t have been cut so cleanly like that!! Yeah. My sword must have rotted!”

“David.. What are you talking about? You were the one who brought the sword.”

“That! That, well, even if that’s the case, there’s still something I don’t understand.”

“I can’t explain what I don’t understand, but I did what I could because I thought I could.”

“Hey, Kidney Youngsik. I’m curious how you won.”

“Faintly, I saw a particularly thin part among the worn-out ores. I just swung towards that part as efficiently and forcefully as possible.”

“You saw that?”

“Yes? Oh, yes…”

Even Selina Youngae, who looked down on David pitifully, now looked at him with a strange expression.

“What a monster-like being..”

“No, Selina, that’s rude.”

“Oh. Without thinking. To hear such words from David.. It’s embarrassing.”

The target of David’s attack seemed to have shifted from me to Selina Youngae, and they began to exchange barbs.

“Well, it seems like the duel is over for now, so let’s each wash up and gather at the banquet hall for dinner! Doyeon, make sure to come to the bathroom with me!”

“Yes..”

***

“You know, Selina, Kidney is indeed a bit strange, right?”

“You should call him Kidney Youngsik. David. And strange? What do you mean by that..”

“So what. Kidney said to speak comfortably, right? It applies to you too.”

“That’s true, but.. there seems to be something different about him. He may not have professionally learned swordsmanship, but does he instinctively know how to handle it? The cutting edge, the way he looked at everything with his eyes seemed to read everything.”

“Right! Those eyes! Are you also a magician or something to observe so well? I felt like I was being slowly devoured by Kidney while continuing my attack, right? So I rushed in blindly.”

“Don’t lie. You just charged in without thinking.”

“That’s why saints are no good, not understanding my deep thoughts,”

“Sigh, anyway, let’s get closer to Kidney Youngsik today and tomorrow. If it’s a gain, it’s fine, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a loss.”

“Excuses. Actually, you just want to get closer, don’t you? I don’t think I didn’t notice you sneakily glancing at Kidney Youngsik since we arrived?”

“W-what are you talking about!!”

“Let’s go eat~ After eating, shall we try another round?”

***

“How do you guys like the Northern cuisine?”

“Yes! It’s delicious!”

“Before hearing it was bear meat, it seemed like premium veal tenderloin, but I didn’t know bear meat would be this tender!”

Certainly, children seem to be right, their eyes shining when they eat delicious food. It’s like watching juniors from an orphanage in a past life, making my eyes slightly redder.

Occasionally, bringing red bean buns donated from the local bakery, the eyes of the children sparkled as if they had everything. I should have taken better care of them…

“Kidney? Why did you suddenly stop eating, is something wrong?”

“… No. It’s delicious. I was just thinking about thanking the chef.”

“Is that so? Today, we asked you to put in some effort to show off our dignity.”

Aria emits purity like a child seeking praise, proud yet wanting compliments. Her golden eyes, filled with warmth of affection, made me feel a bit uncomfortable, so I subtly avoided eye contact.

“Aria. So when are you going to propose to Kidney?”

The mine exploded from another direction. Lady Esil personally stepped on it.

“Well.. Ideally, I want to live together forever.”

Aria seems to have decided to brush it off lightly as a joke and move on with a smile.

It’s just a joke, right?

“Aria, my dear. I agree that the love for one’s child is important, but these days noble parents in the capital apparently arrange engagements for their children around the age of 10. We were also contemplating finding a partner for an engagement.”

“Is that so..? But, Aria, isn’t our Kidney’s feelings the most important?”

Nice defense, Aria! Rather than wasting time on unnecessary engagements, choose to swing the sword ten times more. It’s a bit worrying that in this lifetime, marriage may not even happen, let alone dating, and I’m concerned about causing trouble for Aria.

“I don’t have any thoughts about it yet. Haha. If luck is on my side, won’t fate continue?”

“What about our Selina? She may be a bit feisty, but she looks just like me, so she will surely become a beauty, and she has talent to excel as a sorceress too, right?”

“Mother, what are you talking about… Unfortunately, I also don’t have any thoughts about engagement yet.”

“What about me, Mom? Won’t you arrange an engagement for me?”

“Well.. yes. Shouldn’t my son make a bit more effort? I’ve been looking, but haven’t found the right person..”

The atmosphere that felt like a gourmet society suddenly transformed into something resembling a matchmaking program, with the Countess taking on the role of a matchmaker. Aria stepped in. It’s a good thing. Things would surely have been left unsettled otherwise.

“Now that everyone seems to have finished eating, shall we move to the martial arts field?”

“Oh! Are we all going to practice together?”

“David, are your brains made of muscles or something?”

“What did you just say?”

“Haha.. I’m trying to introduce you to the traditional culture of the North. Is this your first time, Kidney?”

“Yes.. Is this something new to you too?”

“Haha. It’s something to cherish as a fleeting memory. Let’s enjoy today to the fullest and keep it in our hearts.”

“Yes.”

***

Northern traditional culture.

It might seem like hunting or something based on prejudice, but according to Aria’s nuances, it’s not like that at all. What special event could it be?

“Now that everyone is gathered, shall we begin? Rebecca, please close your eyes. I’ll prepare the fire.”

“Yes, madam.”

Before I knew it, a bright bonfire was burning. Above my head, snowflakes dressed in aurora colors were gently falling.

I never imagined that Northern tradition would involve camping.. Not in the slightest.

“How about it, Kid? It’s a secret, but we’ll roast some snacks in a little while, okay?”

Like a child in school who used to share secretly eaten treats, she spoke cautiously as if it were a secret.

“That sounds great. S’mores would be perfect, right?”

“Huh? What’s a s’more?”

“It’s when you roast marshmallows and chocolate between biscuits. Once you try it, you’ll all get addicted, so let’s keep it a secret and only eat it among ourselves.”

“Haha, okay. I’ll ask Rebecca to bring some intentionally in a bit.”

“Alright. As the night falls, wouldn’t it be delightful to lose yourself in song and dance? Choose your partners and waltz. The rhythm is in 4 beats!”

Lady Esil dances with Lord Karl, and the siblings will figure it out themselves. I naturally became partners with Aria.

“You don’t think it’s just about dancing, do you? There’s something better waiting.”

Could it be true? Just dancing alone makes for such a happy time. Come to think of it, I feel a bit sorry for not meeting Aria properly lately due to my sword training.

“Let’s dance too! I’ll lead, so follow along.”

“Yes. Please lead the way.”

“Kidney has grown up so much already, hasn’t he? Now there’s only about three fists’ difference between us. His face seems a bit more refined too.”

“Come to think of it, there doesn’t seem to be any change from when I first saw him. Aria.”

They might have different thoughts now, but through dancing, their minds gradually merge into one.

Like water droplets meeting and merging with others.

“With Kidney and”

“With Aria,”

“This time spent together is enjoyable.”

The two, who were hurt and lonely, became the ones who licked each other’s wounds to heal.

“Alright everyone, watch somewhere else besides dancing!”

Around those who were dancing, various spirits appeared in different colors, surrounding those who danced as if being led by the dance.

“In the north, there are many fluid spirits. When we sing and dance that the spirits like, they gather like this to enjoy together. Now for a twist! Let’s change partners!”

“I’m with Aria after a long time!”

“Great, Esil. It’s been a while since the academy.”

“Son, isn’t sword dancing a form of dance?”

“Sure. Father! Let’s start quickly!”

“Uh… Kidney Yeongsik…?”

“Will you dance with me, Selina?”

“Okay.”

Whether it was because of the fire or David’s teasing, Selina, whose cheeks had turned similar to her hair color, led Ball closer to the fire.

“Smells like apples…”

“Huh? Right. My mother and I really love apples. The apples from our territory are so delicious, we even planted them at our mansion. They say that some people start smelling like apples if they eat our territory’s apples regularly.”

“I like them too.”

“..Apples, right?”

“Yeah? Of course. Shall we dance too?”

“You lead first. If I don’t like it, I’ll go find another partner.”

“Yes, I will do my best!”

“Cook, you’re overdoing it.”

Soon, small clusters of light began to gather around us, moving around following our dance. However, it seems like they are particularly coming near me.

“Kidney, you. You seem surrounded by the aurora of the sky right now.”

“Like a magician, expressing it like magic. Do you have them around you too?”

“But I think I’m not riding on the power of the spirits. If you try to get close, they move away again.”

As if to show this, he tries to touch the group of spirits with his hand, but the spirits quickly flee.

“Haha, you look like you’re popping soap bubbles right now!”

“It’s profit! No, they ran away!”

“Come here. The spirits around me seem gentle.”

She points to a spirit sitting around my shoulder, holding Selina’s arm. Indeed, the reddened face and the reddened fingertips look sour, as if they would squirt apple juice if pricked.

“Here.”

“No, let me do it with my hand… Wow… It feels like touching clouds.”

“Really? Is it nice because it’s soft?”

“Thank you, Kidney.”

“What’s there to thank for? Between friends.”

“Friends… Hehe, is this what Mom used to call childhood friends? Nice to meet you.”

Selina smiles like a fresh apple, looking slightly embarrassed, gesturing to continue dancing as she extends both hands.

“Yes, it’s my turn.”