[Episode 195] Backstage Maneuvers (11)
The letter from the Swordmaster contained only a signature that identified the sender, with no additional message written.
Yet, I could somewhat guess its meaning. Could it imply that I should entertain Sion at the ball? I was the only male somewhat acquainted with Sion, after all.
The sum of gold coins was significantly more than before—equivalent to half a year’s salary from my days working in the workshop. Of course, considering the cost of living in Rigved, it wasn’t an amount for luxury, but it was still substantial.
Was there a need to give me so much?
Well, perhaps he understands that dealing with Sion is no ordinary task.
I had no intention of becoming Sion’s partner at the ball just because I received a bribe.
I didn’t want to choose a partner through such unprincipled means, not to mention it wouldn’t be fair to the two friends who were waiting for my invitation. And certainly, it wouldn’t be good for Sion either. How upset would she be if she found out I had asked her due to money?
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r om k i n g m t l .o rg
***
After completing her daily training and a bath in the communal bathhouse of the dormitory, Sion rested in her designated seat in front of the fireplace in the lounge, draped in a robe.
Sitting there, Sion observed the daytime scene outside the large windows. Different from her, the passing men and women carried an air of excited anticipation and elation. What could make them so blissfully happy? They resembled characters from a fairy tale, all destined for a happily ever after.
Sion could not share their excitement or their joy. She never managed to immerse herself in fairy tales, and the harsh realities she had faced since childhood prevented her from indulging in romance or leisure.
Annoyed by their cheerful demeanor, Sion left the lounge and ascended the stairs.
Upon reaching her room, she stopped in her tracks. There was a bouquet of flowers in front of her door.
This was the fifth time. Someone unknown had started leaving gifts by her door every other day.
The first couple of times, she had taken them into her room without much thought. Eventually, as she left them unattended and they wilted into trash, she either threw them in the garden or left them where they were first placed.
“…”
As the ball season approached, the number of people trying to approach her in this manner increased.
Someone had even left a candy stick in her belongings, as if to suggest they were as sweet as candy. Whether that person was the actual Candy was unknown.
The fact that they lurked around but were too scared to show themselves made Sion uninterested in associating with them.
T his w a s c op ie d f r o m k i n g m t l .o r g
She left the bouquet where it was and entered her room.
Then she tossed the robe aside and checked her naked body for any new bruises or injuries, a routine post-training to check for unnoticed harm.
While getting dressed, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Witthrush Hall was so sparsely populated that hearing footsteps was rare. When the sound of rustling stopped right in front of her room, Sion intuited it was the stalker.
In her undergarments, Sion immediately grabbed the Magic Sword with the intent to prevent the perpetrator from ever daring to come near her again and flung the door open.
But the figure she faced was someone she never expected—it was that masked man.
He looked down at the bouquet at his feet and then at Sion in her undergarments, expressing his discomfort.
“This isn’t what you think.”
***
Sion glowered at me before softening her aggressive stance after a moment’s thought.
“Did you do all this?”
She must be talking about the bouquets by the door. I had the misfortune to get caught up in this, suspect of a crime I didn’t commit.
“No.”
I’ve already said it’s not me. I have no idea about any of this.
Sion asked with a cold gaze.
“Then why are you here?”
“I have something to discuss.”
T hi s wa s c op i e d f ro m k i n gm t l . or g
She gave me a once-over before responding.
“…Come in.”
Sion left the door open and turned away, going over to her wardrobe to pull out a training outfit to wear. Peeking in, I saw the wardrobe was filled with identical training outfits. Unlike other girls, she seemed to have no interest in dressing up.
Despite having shown her undergarments, she displayed no discomfort, almost as if her body housed a male soul. She didn’t regard me as a man, which might explain the lack of embarrassment.
I remained at the door, insisting.
“No, I’ll set a time for our appointment, then come out to the designated place.”
T h i s wa s c op i e d fr om k i n g mt l . or g
She slipped on her top and pulled strands of hair out of her collar before replying.
“I don’t want to.”
“…”
This w a s c o p i e d f rom ki n gm t l . o r g
“I’m not free other than today. If you want to spar with me, it ends today.”
“What’s the point in fighting if I’m going to win?”
“…”
Sion’s body tensed slightly. Then she silently grabbed the Magic Sword lying on the table.
Was she serious about fighting? I couldn’t even joke with this battle-crazed woman.
I quickly changed the conversation before it escalated to an actual fight.
“If today’s the only time you have, then come out without the sword. There’s something more important than that.”
***
As soon as I left the dormitory, I sent a Stitch to hail a carriage.
Sion surprisingly complied with my request without objection.
Contrary to her usual behavior of ignoring others and doing as she pleased, she followed behind me like a duckling.
The students around the living quarters looked back at us constantly. These stares are rather piercing.
“Wait a moment.”
Sion stopped suddenly.
I halted and looked back at her. It would be problematic to have this conversation in such a crowded place.
“We don’t have anything to say here.”
“Before we proceed, I need to hear an explanation first.”
“…Explanation?”
Sion crossed her arms and walked to a bench in the garden, then sat down. She glanced up at me and demanded.
“Start by telling me why you’ve been following me around, leaving bouquets and candy.”
“…?”
“I won’t move until I hear the reason.”
I looked around at the gathering crowd. Some students had begun to whisper among themselves. Did she still think I was responsible for those things? I truly knew nothing about it.
“It wasn’t me. There’s someone else stalking you, so deal with it yourself.”
“…”
“And don’t worry about the ball. I’ll be making my invitation to a girl who is pretty, sweet, and has a big heart.”
Sion placed her hands on her knees, feigning ignorance of my words.
The onlookers’ stares began to intensify. It seemed I was about to be tangled in a misunderstanding and even stranger rumors.
“Look at this.”
I pulled out the Swordmaster’s letter from inside my jacket and waved it in front of her. Sion’s eyes widened in confusion. I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. She didn’t resist much and was drawn away.
Our sudden departure sparked murmurs among the onlookers.
“Oh my, oh my.”
I led her away to a place out of sight from prying eyes.
The looks from the crowd were irritating, but it was too late to address them.
Halfway down the forest path to the Guardian Tree, I let go. Sion massaged her wrist, seemingly in pain, which made me feel a bit guilty.
Sion checked for anyone around before asking.
“Why did you receive a letter from my master?”
“That’s what I want to know. Besides, there’s nothing written on it. It came with a pouch of items.”
I decided to keep the money a secret for now.
“…”
Her face darkened slightly.
T h i s w a s cop i e d fr om k i ngm t l.o r g
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t receive it?”
“…?”
Th i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m ki n gmt l .o r g
She seemed to be holding back on something, hesitating to answer.
“Maybe it wasn’t meant for me but was sent to the wrong person.”
Sion shook her head.
“Master doesn’t make mistakes like that. He clearly targeted you.”
She mumbled to herself after a pause.
“He hasn’t sent me any news for months…”
I understood the situation. Her one and only student, Sion, had received no word from him, and now, out of the blue, he had sent a letter to me. It had hurt her feelings.
“He only sent the signature to me, too.”
“When the master writes important letters, he treats them with chemicals to hide the content.”
“Then how can we reveal it?”
“We need to sprinkle it with shadowgrass powder.”
I’ve heard of that ingredient. Shadowgrass powder is a rare commodity in this region, not readily available.
Perhaps the gold coins weren’t for another purpose but included to decode the message.
This made the Swordmaster’s intentions even more puzzling.
T h is was copi e d f r o m k i ng m tl. o r g
If it wasn’t about being Sion’s companion for a day…
What could be so important that it was hidden in the letter, a message not for Sion but only for me?
“I’ll go. That letter has nothing to do with me.”
She turned to leave.
I ran after her and grabbed her wrist.
“No, you need to come to Rigved with me.”
***
Cecil, seated at the front of the lecture hall for her liberal arts class, tuned in to the murmurs behind her.
“Can you believe it, that Sion…”
“The one with the mask…”
“At the ball… chasing around…”
Students entering the lecture hall were abuzz as if they had just witnessed an exciting event.
Sion and the masked man were the subjects of their conversation.
T h i s wa s co pie d f ro m k in g mtl . o r g
The thought of the two of them mentioned together made Cecil’s heart sink.
She remembered the incident after the circulatory system practice where the two had a secret meeting in Rigved.
Biting her lip anxiously, her friend Elias suddenly took a seat beside her.
“Cecil, what are you doing?”
“…”
Elias sensed something was off as Cecil remained motionless, not even turning to look at him.
“Are you alright? Did someone follow you again, asking you to dance?”
“No.”
Cecil coldly denied Elias’s concern and opened her textbook to shield her face.
Meanwhile, other students filled up the row behind her, continuing their conversation.
“Seriously, Sion was chasing after the masked guy, picking a fight.”
“Is she still obsessed with dueling?”
“I don’t know. But they must have some connection, because when he ignored her, she got angry and started yelling.”
“What did she say?”
“She told him to either fight her or dance with her at the ball, he had to choose one.”
“Crazy… Are they fighting or is there something between them?”
Thi s wa s c o p ied f r o m kin g m t l .o r g
“But the funniest part, you know what? The masked guy flat-out rejected her.”
“Oh my.”
“He said he already has someone in mind who is pretty, smart, and has a really big chest.”
“Ah… What a pervert. Why is he even following her?”
“Exactly.”
Elias, who had been quietly observing Cecil, nudged her arm.
“Cecil? Are you okay?”
He then pressed down on the book concealing her face.
Cecil’s arms went limp, revealing her face flushed like a beet.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
Without a word, Cecil turned to look out the window and hastily drank from a potion bottle as if to cool down her embarrassment.