Ch.97Chapter 97: Searching for Corruption in a Pure White Place (1)

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After finishing the sparring match with Excel.

Normally, I should have rested to recover my tired body, but.

“Huu…”

I let out a faint sigh, slowly raised my slumped body, and hurriedly prepared to go outside.

There was a reason.

All of this happened just as I was about to indulge in the warmth of Shizu embracing me from behind while I was sitting on the training ground floor.

[Young one.]

It was Fafnir’s voice echoing in my head that caused this.

[I understand you’re tired and exhausted. But since no one else can hear me, I’ll ask this of you.]

Since Fafnir knew better than anyone else how tired I was, his voice addressing me as I tried to recover my exhausted body had a rather polite and cautious edge to it.

Usually, when he spoke to me in such a polite tone, it was clear he had a serious request of his own, so.

I gathered my wavering consciousness and addressed Fafnir.

‘What are you trying to ask that makes you speak so cautiously?’

[I’ve detected an extremely ominous energy lurking in a corner of this fortress.]

‘…What do you mean?’

[Exactly what I said. It’s an ominous and dark energy originating from the demon realm.]

‘…Are you serious?’

[Do I have any reason to lie to you? Go check it out, and if it’s something you can handle, take care of it. If not, call someone who can.]

…How could I not go after hearing that?

Any normal person would head toward a place where impure energy related to the demon realm was detected within the fortress.

And I would be no different.

That’s why I put aside my plans to rest and got up.

I needed to find out the identity of this impure energy related to the demon realm as quickly as possible.

So that I could either handle it myself or inform someone else who could take appropriate measures.

After slowly getting up and composing myself, I was about to take a step toward the entrance of the training ground, but.

“…Cal?”

The worried voice of Shizu, who was still holding me from behind, stopped me in my tracks.

Ah, I was wondering why my back felt so warm.

Only now did I remember Shizu’s presence behind me, which I had completely forgotten after hearing Fafnir’s request to investigate the impure energy. I turned my head to meet Shizu’s eyes.

Her expression, as she had approached me since I sat down facing Excel on the training ground floor discussing various things about our sparring match…

“Can’t you sit down and rest? You look very tired.”

Was filled with incomparable concern.

It was an expression filled with such poignancy that it reminded me of how she looked at me on the first day after my regression when I was lying in bed.

…While I was very happy and grateful that she was worried about me.

I thought she might be worrying too much over me just being tired and sitting down after a sparring match, but.

“Don’t go, rest.”

Her voice and touch, as she tightened her arms around my waist to prevent me from leaving, were filled with both poignancy and firmness.

“Um, Shizu…”

“You can’t go.”

“Shi…”

“No.”

Come on, you could at least listen to what I have to say before deciding…

Shizu’s embrace grew stronger as her desire for me not to move recklessly and strain myself intensified.

The inconvenience of not being able to leave my spot was growing, but.

The gratitude I felt toward Shizu for worrying about me was growing even more than the inconvenience.

However, if I stayed put, intoxicated by this warmth and gratitude, that would truly lead to trouble, so.

“…Would you let me go if I said I was going to rest in my room?”

“Ah.”

Using the excuse of returning to my room, I was able to escape from Shizu’s tight grip.

I felt a bit guilty seeing her expression of surprise as she withdrew her embrace, like a puppy drenched in rain, but.

“Want to come with me to my room?”

“Yes!”

I was able to put aside my guilty feelings when I saw her bright smile at my suggestion to go to my room together.

[Sigh…]

There was the issue of Fafnir’s sigh resonating in my head, filled with an indescribably deep emotion as he witnessed this, but still.

Well, if you’re so upset, why don’t you get a fiancée of your own…

[^!#%!^#%!#!]

Ah, I guess he really can hear everything.

Knowing that poking further would be like stirring up a hornet’s nest.

I quickly took Shizu’s hand and swiftly moved toward the entrance of the training ground.

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Creeeeak-!!

As the sound of the heavy iron door closing echoed, the commotion in the training ground gradually subsided.

The knights who had been engaged in heated discussions about the sparring match between the young members of the Lanos and Bernstein families—pillars supporting the Empire—began to shift their focus.

-“What’s the point of just talking? Now that it’s come to this, the best way is to convey what we’ve seen and felt through our weapons.”

-“Well said. I was getting restless anyway! Today I’ll show you what happens when the Imperial standard swordsmanship is mastered to its limits.”

-“Hehe. Big words indeed. I look forward to it.”

One by one, they concluded that rather than talking, it was better to clash weapons and hone their skills against each other.

Around that time, the sound of steel meeting steel once again became louder than voices in the training ground, which had unusually been dominated by conversation rather than combat.

And at the center of the arena where the sparring match had just taken place…

“He’s gone…”

The woman who had served as the referee for this match was displaying a rather complex expression with a soft voice.

The woman, Iriana Lanos, had readily sent off her brother and his fiancée after hearing that he was going to his room to rest due to fatigue. Now, as her brother’s figure disappeared from her sight, she recalled.

At the same time, she also recalled the sparring match that had unfolded in this training ground just moments ago.

It had been an astonishing match.

At first, when Excel, her brother’s friend, asked her to serve as the referee for today’s sparring match with her brother.

Upon accepting the role of referee, she had already anticipated the outcome of the match.

Namely, her brother’s defeat.

But it was the opposite.

Far from a poor showing, the match appeared at first glance to be one with a one-sided flow of offense and defense, but.

Neither the one on the offensive nor the one pushed into defense showed any weakness, firmly exchanging sword and spear in an equal match, and.

It ended with her brother’s victory, seizing and utilizing a moment of opportunity without missing it.

While she had declared her brother’s victory in a resounding voice.

Iriana couldn’t help but be inwardly surprised.

Yesterday, though she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes and had only heard about it through other knights.

When she heard that her brother had engaged in a very equal sparring match with his fiancée, who had left the training ground with him—someone who would be difficult even for her to face without serious effort.

Iriana had thought that the match might have been one where his fiancée, Lillian Shizu, had gone easy on her brother.

Although she had selected him as a participant for the subjugation expedition after seeing him maintain his dignity without being intimidated by the fighting spirit she had deliberately emitted.

Her brother’s ability, having barely awakened his special talent just before turning 18, was comparable to a child who had just taken its first steps.

That’s why she thought that perhaps during the match, her brother’s fiancée, who was on good terms with him, had appropriately matched her skill to his level.

“At first I thought so…”

Speaking in a small voice while raising her right hand to caress her cheek, Iriana’s expression was a mixture of surprise and admiration.

“…His skills have improved even more since then. And it’s only been a few days.”

It was a growth rate that could hardly be described as merely steep.

Although there are cases where overall abilities, including physical capabilities, show remarkable growth right after awakening a special talent.

In her brother’s case, the extent was greater than any person she had ever observed.

How was this possible?

Was it indeed the super-regenerative ability, said to have been possessed by their ancestor, the founder of the family, that was having a profound influence on her brother’s growth?

It wasn’t just the special talent.

His swordsmanship, which was quite different from the ‘Radiance’ that her brother’s fiancée and she herself were said to have finally restored in this era, was also noticeable.

As she had been able to confirm while examining the family’s ancient documents after being designated as the family head.

There were similarities here and there with the ancestor’s swordsmanship, which embodied principles completely different from Radiance.

The presence felt in each movement, heavy rather than swift, like a mountain moving, completely contrary to the current trend where speed is emphasized and swift swordsmanship prevails.

It had many similarities with another of the ancestor’s swordsmanship styles named ‘Waning Moon,’ which she had confirmed through ancient documents.

‘It wasn’t exactly the same, but.’

Just as her brother’s fiancée had digested Radiance—which had been engraved in her mind upon awakening her special talent—through her own modifications to make it completely her own.

Perhaps her brother was going through a similar process?

If time allowed, she would have liked to spend the entire day reflecting on the recent sparring match and thinking about her brother.

But there was something she needed to do first.

Iriana lowered her head slightly to look at the man who was recovering his tired body under her care, and spoke.

“Are you alright?”

It was merely a voice devoid of any special emotion, just displaying calmness, but.

The recipient of this voice seemed to gain strength just from the calmness contained in it.

The man, Excel Bernstein, who had immediately risen from his seated position, showed an excited expression and.

“Yes! Your stroking my head has revived strength I didn’t even have, Sister!”

He answered her question with a spirited voice.

The moment she faced such a sight with her own eyes.

“Hehe…”

Iriana couldn’t help but let a faint laugh escape from her lips.

No matter how difficult a situation he faced or how dejected he appeared.

Just hearing her voice, he would show a bright demeanor as if nothing had happened, and.

The thought that she was the cause of this.

Gave her a sense of comfort that surprised even herself.

Yes, comfort.

The emotion Iriana Lanos felt when facing Excel Bernstein was predominantly comfort.

No matter how much he bothered her, he never crossed the line.

When she wanted distance, he would send letters almost daily to check on her and show concern.

And the way he never showed weakness in front of her, but rather tried to be a source of strength.

Although defining it with just the word ‘comfort’ might be a bit awkward.

Because he occasionally made her smile comfortably, despite the solemn armor of dignity she had to wear constantly due to her position.

Iriana found Excel Bernstein very comforting.

“You lost, but you did well. Your skills have improved a lot since I last saw you.”

“With your praise, Sister, I, Excel, feel I could die without regrets right now.”

Just like this.

Whenever she said something, he would always respond with words slightly off from her expectations.

“…Don’t die though.”

Making her expression soften in a lighter direction.

In the past, she might have lightly scolded him for being too playful and stopped him.

“Ah… Sister, that slightly smiling expression of yours is truly beautiful as always.”

“…Is that so?”

When she hears his straightforward voice filled with sincerity complimenting her appearance, she forgets even that and feels comfort.

While others wouldn’t dare make such light jokes to her or make her expression soften.

Her brother’s longtime friend knew well how to easily soften Iriana Lanos’s solemn expression stemming from heavy responsibilities.

That’s why Iriana defined the emotion she felt when looking at Excel as comfort, but.

Perhaps someone who had observed her for a long time.

Would have defined the emotion she felt when looking at Excel as something other than comfort, and would have surely told her exactly what it was.

Unfortunately, the person who could have told her such things had just left the training ground.

Therefore, to maintain this emotion defined as comfort in her heart a little longer, she spoke to Excel.

“Cal went back to his room with Shizu because he was tired, but what are you planning to do now?”

“I haven’t decided yet…”

In response to Iriana’s question, Excel’s voice trailed off, unlike his usual self who would typically give immediate answers.

Feeling curious, Iriana waited for what would come out of his mouth, but.

Thump, thump

Excel’s sudden action of drastically closing the distance between them was enough to surprise even her.

“If it’s alright with you, would you like to have lunch with me?”

Completely setting aside his usual light tone.

Excel’s appearance, asking her to have lunch together in a very serious voice, had a slightly different texture from the comfort she usually felt from him.

Unlike his usual self that might have seemed frivolous.

This very serious demeanor, carefully waiting for the words to fall from his mouth, was quite alien.

Yes, it was very alien.

Perhaps that’s why she unconsciously felt discomfort?

Thump, thump

“…??”

Iriana couldn’t help but be very surprised at her suddenly pounding and thumping heart.

Why was her body not listening to her and acting on its own?

Doubts began to fill her mind, but.

Right now, she had to do what needed to be done before satisfying those doubts.

She had initially planned to ask him to have lunch together anyway.

Since he had asked first, it was appropriate to accept.

“Let’s do that.”

Iriana readily accepted Excel’s lunch invitation, and.

As if he was extremely happy that his invitation was accepted.

“Ah…”

A dazed exclamation escaped from Excel’s lips, followed by.

“Thank you.”

A rather impressive smile formed on his face.

And upon facing that smile.

Thump, thump

Iriana’s heart malfunctioned again with a thump.

It was also the moment she realized that she was feeling a different, alien sentiment while looking at her brother’s friend, with whom she had always felt only comfort.