TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 180
The day before the Day of Decision.
Hanna and I strolled through the streets of the Capital City to mark the finale of the duel.
It might seem unreasonable to go out before an important duel, but sometimes a change of mood can yield better outcomes.
Of course, after the outing, we would take time to refine our swords one last time, but a moment to breathe fresh air outside the dusty Training Grounds was necessary.
Hanna, excited about the rare outing, was trembling her shoulders as she looked at me. She kept checking her reflection in the window whenever I looked away, fixing her Hair to ensure her face didn’t look odd or her Hair wasn’t too messy.
Hanna, who accidentally met my gaze, gave an awkward smile and grinned.
“Hehe.”
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, you’re just handsome.”
“I already know.”
“…”
Despite my arrogant remark, Hanna smiled and nodded.
“I know that too…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
With Hanna’s Pleasant Smile, I looked up at the sky.
Hanna leisurely enjoyed the moment, touching the falling petals on the Cherry Blossom-Bloomed Street.
Seeing Hanna’s cheerful appearance, I thought to myself. Today, I’ll spend without holding back. While I wasn’t someone who enjoyed being frugal, I usually avoided overspending. But just for today, I decided to splurge for my Disciple.
Because today feels like that kind of day.
A day where spending money doesn’t feel wasteful.
I sneaked a glance at Hanna’s Ear. Her earlobes, without Earrings, were impeccably clean.
‘I hope I made a good purchase.’
I bought them thinking they’d suit her, but I wasn’t sure if Hanna would like them. I wasn’t accustomed to gifting Accessories to women.
If it were the Bandage Tape I always carried in my Pocket, that’d be one thing, but honestly, I didn’t have much of an eye for Accessories like Earrings.
With my hand in my Pocket, fiddling with the Earrings, I glanced at Hanna.
I didn’t know when would be the right moment to give them naturally. Simply handing them over with a “Here’s a gift” felt devoid of emotion, and I doubted Hanna would appreciate it. A meaningful atmosphere would add value to the Gift. As the first Gift a Master gives to their Disciple, handing it over like picking up a pebble from the ground felt lacking.
Though technically, it wasn’t the first Gift since I’d previously given her a sword, it was the first time I was giving her a Gift while looking her in the face. So, If You Think About It, it was still the first.
I kept observing Hanna, pondering and pondering again.
“Hmm… The weather is really nice.”
“It is.”
“And the flowers are in full bloom.”
Hanna smiled as she looked at the brightly bloomed flowers along the street.
“But Butler is prettier.”
“What?”
“Butler talking is more charming and beautiful than those flowers.”
“What is that Flirty Statement?”
Hanna clasped her hands behind her back and took a step forward, looking at me. The Spring Wind gently passed through her Hair, carrying a subtle floral scent.
“So what if it’s flirty? It’s only for Butler.”
“…Hah.”
I let out an Empty Laugh and placed my hand on Hanna’s head. As I tousled her Hair, Hanna looked at me with a mischievous Smile.
“You’ll win.”
“That’s an obvious statement.”
“No, I mean something else too.”
“What?”
Hanna smiled playfully and grabbed my hand.
For a moment, I couldn’t think straight at the soft touch of her hand, as Hanna pulled me along with a Bright Smile.
“Let’s go quickly. I’m Hungry.”
Led by Hanna’s hand, I smiled.
‘Is spring finally coming to my life?’
It feels like flowers are blooming in my gloomy life, tossed around here and there.
*
Inside the crowded Restaurant.
Sitting at the reserved Table, we quietly poured water into each other’s cups.
-Trickle.
“…”
-Gulp.
I wasn’t feeling good.
We had entered the Restaurant in a cheerful mood, but as soon as we sat at the Table, that lighthearted feeling vanished.
It wasn’t because of the crowd.
Since we had reserved a well-known Restaurant in the Capital City, the crowd was expected. It was just one thing—the people sitting at the Opposite Table bothered me.
Hanna was emptying the water bottle by herself.
As if trying to fill her stuffy chest with water, she kept pouring and drinking repeatedly, glaring at the person sitting next to her with a growling Voice.
“When I begged you to come just once, you refused to the death…”
“Haha…”
“It’s so absurd I’m at a loss for words.”
I awkwardly glanced at the two men sitting at the next Table.
Wearing a neat Uniform, the Middle-Aged Man and the Young Man in a white Academy School Uniform sat there as I emptied my cup with a bitter Smile.
‘We’re not exactly easy opponents.’
It was laughable that I was even thinking this. After all, I was here to cheer Hanna up. Thinking of it as looking into a Mirror, it made sense.
I smiled and nodded.
“They must have come because they think they can win. Just like we did.”
At my casual remark, Rowen let out an Empty Laugh and nodded. It seemed the Swordmaster had sharp ears for such subtle Provocation.
Seeing the Swordmaster’s candid reaction, I couldn’t help but laugh as well.
Rowen, with arms crossed, looked at Mikhail and said.
“You’ve done well on the task I gave you. The Outcome is better than I expected.”
“You flatter me.”
“Achieving that much in just 15 days is worthy of some pride.”
“It’s all thanks to Mentor’s guidance.”
I glanced at Mikhail, humbly responding, and spoke to Hanna.
“Annoying, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“He always loses to me at the Academy but acts all magnanimous like that.”
“Pfft.”
“He keeps saying he could’ve won every day. Ugh.”
-Flinch.
I smiled as I noticed Mikhail’s stiffened expression. Clearly, he had sharp ears too. I had planned to introduce him to the Modern Invention of a Hearing Aid later as a Possessor, but it seemed unnecessary now.
Feeling that my Provocation had worked, I clenched my Fist and looked at Hanna.
When our eyes met, Hanna’s bashful Smile made me smile as well.
“But drinking so much water like this, what are you going to do? The food hasn’t even arrived yet.”
“It’s fine. If Butler buys it, I can eat it all.”
“You’re going to burst today.”
“Hehe…”
Hanna brightened her mood with a Bright Smile.
As I noticed the clerks slowly bringing out the food, Hanna widened her eyes and looked at me.
“Wow… It looks really expensive.”
“It is really expensive.”
“Then I’ll chip in too…!”
“That’s a great insult to a wealthy Butler.”
As we chatted warmly, a faint sneer came from the next Table.
“As if he has money. A Debtor like him.”
I couldn’t just ignore those words.
I perked up my ears and focused on the seasoned Middle-Aged Man’s Provocation. Being ridiculed over money, of all things, was something that could leave a Wound.
Mocking a Parvenu who had barely paid off all his debts and was now sitting on a Money Cushion with money was something I couldn’t tolerate.
Of course, Rowen had much more money than I did, but still, feeling bad was feeling bad.
Before my flaring emotions could even settle, Rowen’s Provocation continued relentlessly.
“A Servant of a Fallen Household has no place here.”
“Is that… so?”
“People should act according to their station. There’s an old saying: ‘A crow trying to follow a stork will tear its legs apart.’ Isn’t that exactly the case here?”
“…”
I smiled and let his Provocation slide.
There was no need to react. While his Provocation was indeed aimed at me, he had completely missed the mark. The kind of Provocation that truly got to me was one targeting the Young Lady.
Provocations about money or Social Status didn’t affect me as much.
Of course, his Provocation wasn’t directed solely at me. It also included Hanna, as well as his own Disciple, Mikhail.
Rowen might not know, but Mikhail came from the bottom. It must have sounded unpleasant to him.
Noticing Mikhail’s stiffened expression, I gave a bitter Smile.
“Shall we eat?”
“What?”
Hanna, who looked ready to draw her sword at Rowen’s Provocation, tilted her head in confusion at my calm response. As she stared at me with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’, I cut a small piece of Steak and offered it to her.
“Ah.”
“Ah…”
-Nom.
“Is it good?”
“Yes…”
“This is a Restaurant I carefully selected. Miss Hanna likes Meat, doesn’t she?”
“How did you know?”
“I know everything.”
Thinking about the Middle-Aged Man sitting nearby, I added,
“Unlike someone else, that is.”
At the mention of ‘someone,’ Rowen’s expression began to harden.
Every time I fed Hanna a piece of Meat, she enthusiastically nodded her head, her energy contrasting with Rowen’s increasingly heavy expression, as if he might storm out at any moment.
“I can feed myself—”
“Say ‘Ah.'”
“Ah…”
-Kwaang…!
“I’m leaving.”
“What?”
Mikhail, who had been awkwardly chewing on Steak, looked up at the suddenly standing Rowen and hesitantly began packing his things.
“I just remembered some forgotten work.”
“Ah…”
“A Toast to Victory can wait until after we’ve won.”
Resting my arm on the Chair, I leaned back in a haughty posture and said,
“Leaving already?”
Rowen left without a reply.
Hanna called out to the departing Rowen one last time.
“I will win.”
“…”
“This time, I’ll prove that Father is someone I don’t need in my life.”
“…Leave.”
In the now quiet Restaurant.
I continued feeding Hanna.
“You can stop now…”
“What?”
“You’re doing this because of Father, aren’t you?”
Seeing Hanna’s gloomy expression, I set my Fork down on the Dining Table. Resting my chin on one hand, I gazed at her Softly. Hanna, flustered by my gaze, darted her eyes around nervously.
Looking at the embarrassed Hanna, I said,
“That’s not true.”
“What?”
“I’m not feeding you because of him.”
Picking up my Fork again, I added,
“It’s because Miss Hanna eats so well.”
“What… That’s unfair.”
“I tend to be unfair by nature.”
With a Smile, I placed another piece of Meat into Hanna’s mouth.
As the Meat on the Plate gradually disappeared, Hanna’s full expression signaled the end of our meal. Setting down my Fork, I began rummaging through my Pocket.
Watching my fidgety movements, Hanna tilted her head with a Question Mark on the Head and asked,
“What are you looking for?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Miss Hanna, can you wear Earrings?”
“Yes… I got my ears pierced a while ago, so I can. Why do you ask?”
Smiling faintly, I muttered, “That’s a relief,” and pulled out two small Earrings from my Pocket.
“It’s a Gift.”
Golden Earrings adorned with green emeralds.
Hanna looked at me with trembling eyes, raising her hands.
“I felt like I hadn’t given you a proper Gift before.”
Placing the Earrings in Hanna’s hands, I said,
“Let’s win. Us.”
*
And so, the Day of Decision arrived.