Chapter 2: A Moment of Rest
Chapter 2: A Moment of Rest
After procuring enough food from the stalls, Sain and his friends made their way to the meeting place they’d agreed on in the intermediate school building’s courtyard. It was one-thirty in the afternoon, and the usual crowd that packed into the courtyard at lunch had already dissipated, leaving the area comfortably vacant. They sat down on a bench to wait for Melia, who appeared soon after.
“I’m back. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Ah, Maid. Did you finish up whatever your business was?”
“I did,” she said with a quick bow of her head. “It went very smoothly.”
Sain didn’t pry any further. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; he was plenty curious. But he figured she’d tell him if it was something he needed to know, and he trusted her judgment.
“All right. Now that everyone’s here,” said Alicia as she began unpacking the food they’d bought, “let’s hurry up and chow down so we can head back to the festival. Oh, by the way, Melia, we got something special for you.”
She produced a few transparent packages, inside which were strips of smoked seafood. They’d been fairly easy to find, seeing as there were plenty of drinking areas in the festival where alcohol was served, and all of them came with stalls that sold the things. Melia took one look at the thing and froze, save for her twitching cheeks. Alicia lifted an eyebrow.
“What’s the matter?”
“A-Are those...”
“Smoked seafood. You love it, right?”
“Um, I...”
“Hm? You don’t? Did Sain lie to us?”
“Uh, no, I do like it, but...”
She reluctantly took the packages with a frown before leaning toward Sain and whispering in his ear.
“Excuse me, Master Sain, but could you refrain from telling people about this? It’s... apparently, um... a little exotic
for people to be into these things, so it gets sort of awkward sometimes...”
“Awkward? Come on, how long have we known each other? What’s there to be embarrassed about? There’s no need to hide it. Be proud of what you love.”
“Sure, whatever, but just keep it between us, okay? Unlike you, I’m not used to humiliating myself in public.”
“What do you mean, ‘unlike me’?! Neither am I, damn it!”
He vehemently protested her suggestion that he was some sort of freak who went around humiliating himself for fun, but she simply gave him a dismissive wave of her hand before opening up one of the packages. She brought one of the smoked strips to her lips and, her initial reluctance melting away in the face of her favorite food, began nibbling on it with the daintiest of bites.
Beside her, Marni was chewing on some fried noodles.
“...These are sort of stiff. I think they got a little too cold.”
“Really?” Alicia leaned over and held out her hand. “Here. Give me those for a second.”
With a puzzled expression, Marni handed the noodles to Alicia, who placed them on her lap.
“Okay... Hmph!”
With a small grunt of exertion, she enveloped the box of noodles with a white fire. Her friends watched with astonishment as she returned Marni’s lunch to her.
“Here you go.”
Marni regarded the noodles for a second before slurping one into her mouth.
“...Mmm. Just right.”
Sain and Melia stared at Alicia in silent wonder. She gave them a smug look.
“What do you think? It’s the Alicia Special. You can’t do that with regular fire magic. It’s only possible with holy fire because I can choose how and what it burns.”
“It’s... Well, it’s pretty amazing, I’ll admit that,” said Sain, “but there’s something about seeing holy fire used as a portable food reheater that’s just... weird. Impressive, but weird.”
He doubted anyone had ever used holy fire like that before. Alicia’s holy fire was by nature a purifying power, meant for cleansing its targets of taint. If she wanted to, she could theoretically produce a fire that warmed people it touched but did not burn them.
“Can I, uh... get mine done too?”
“Sure.”
She gave Sain’s lunch the same treatment. Her genial attitude made him appreciate the profound transformation she’d undergone, and he took a moment to quietly marvel at how she’d changed from the bristling loner she’d been when they first met to the friendly, approachable individual she was now.
After finishing lunch, they made good on their plans to tour the entirety of the festival. The school grounds, which normally felt a little too spacious and vacant for their own good, were now packed so full of vendors that they were almost claustrophobic. They weaved through the roving crowds, taking care not to lose anyone to a particularly dense pack of people rushing by.
“You know, it’s pretty fun to just look around. A lot of these vendors are the kinds you don’t see often,” said Sain.
“Yeah, it’s not every day that a bunch of different businesses all set up booths in one place like this. Plus, the stores are all hoping to gain some returning customers here, so they’re all giving it a hundred and twenty percent in the service department.”
It was food and product samples galore, with many vendors offering big attention-grabbing discounts. Despite having had lunch just now, they couldn’t resist reaching for some of the free snacks on offer. As they browsed, Alicia pointed at a stall up ahead.
“Hey, look at the accessories they’re selling over there. They look like the kinds you’d be into, Sain.”
“You don’t say... Let’s see... Whoa! You’re right! Those look awesome!”
Sain’s eyes lit up and he rushed over. It was a black booth that looked like it belonged in a shady alley somewhere. On its counter lay rows of silver accessories, all of which sported gaudy, unnecessarily complicated designs. The whole place exuded an aura of eccentricity that clearly was not working to its favor; there wasn’t a single customer, and people gave it weird looks from a distance as they passed by. Sain didn’t seem bothered by its presentation at all. If anything, he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere as he perused the items on sale. Some of the accessories were covered with spiky protrusions, while others were shaped like crosses or skulls. What they lacked in subtlety, they made up for in variety. Their appeal, however, was completely lost on Alicia, who settled for second-degree pleasure by watching Sain enjoy himself.
“Good shopkeeper, may I have this one?”
“Certainly... My, I must say, you’ve got good taste.”
“You understand the brilliance on display here?”
“Of course... I see we are kindred spirits.”
Sain and the shopkeeper shared a knowing smile and shook hands.
“...Today, I learned the world is a big place, and it’s filled with all sorts of people,” muttered Alicia.
“...Agreed,” said Marni.
They spent the next little while watching the two new soulmates showing off their equally outrageous accessories to one another and trading creepy grins. None of the girls made any attempt to approach them, instead making the wise choice to wait for Sain to finish. Only after he’d gushed to his heart’s content did he return, allowing them to move on.
“They sell clothes, too?” said Melia as they approached a booth that looked like a small boutique.
Alicia followed her gaze.
“Looks like they do... Hey, they’ve got some nice clothes there. Let’s go check it out.”
They’d entered some sort of fashion area, and most of the stalls here had clothes on display. Some of them had actual storefronts set up, while others were content to use simple stalls. The former tended to have clothes of higher quality, but the latter were definitely kinder to one’s wallet.
“Hey, Melia, I was thinking... You know how you’re always wearing your maid uniform? Do you ever wear anything else?”
“Well... Sometimes, if the situation calls for it...” replied Melia, her tone hesitant.
“Sometimes, huh?” Alicia said skeptically before turning to Sain. “So, what’s the verdict? Does she?”
“Uh, well... I don’t think the situation has ever called for it, so... I guess not,” he answered with a grimace.
Alicia sighed.
“Look, Melia might be your attendant, but she’s still a girl, all right? Girls have needs
, and clothing is one of them. Don’t you think you should let her have some downtime every once in a while so she can do her own thing?”
“I do let her! I let her have plenty of downtime! In fact, I keep telling her she can take time off whenever she wants! But she refuses to! And she never gets sick! I tried forcing her to take a day off once... and she just ended up hanging around me all day anyway and kept working like normal.”
Alicia opened her mouth to argue but closed it again when she realized she could easily imagine the scenario playing out. An awkward silence ensued, broken only when Melia stepped in to defend herself.
“Okay, let me set the record straight here. It’s not that I don’t want days off... but they have to at least be relaxing, right? Can you
relax knowing you left someone like Master Sain to fend for himself?”
“Ahh... Good point.”
“Right? I could go off and do my own thing, but it’d just stress me out in the end.”
“I feel your pain.”
Sain didn’t exactly understand what they were talking about, but he picked up on the tone and scowled at them.
“Hey, you know what...” Alicia said as she gave Melia an enthusiastic grin. “Since we’re here, why don’t we have you try on some other clothes?”
Melia was taken aback by the suggestion.
“But... both you and Miss Marni are wearing your uniforms. It’d be weird if I’m the only one who changed into something else... I’d stand out.”
“You already stand out enough in your maid uniform. Besides, nothing you wear will ever stand out as much as him,” Alicia said, gesturing at Sain with her chin. “He’s practically in cosplay all day.”
Sain was about to point out that his black coat wasn’t cosplay but rather an important and carefully crafted piece of equipment to suppress his power of the holy knight, only to swallow his words when he realized his argument was flawed. The coat’s function was legitimate, but its needlessly dark and restricting design was not part of that function; it was tailor-made, and he’d requested those aesthetics himself.
“But... as Master Sain’s attendant, it’s better for me to keep wearing this—”
“Let’s ask him then.” Alicia turned to Sain. “Does Melia have your permission to wear something else?”
He didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Of course. I also wish for Maid to express herself as she desires.”
With permission granted by her master, Melia lost the one excuse she could fall back on. She looked down at her feet in a rare display of uncertainty. Eventually, she asked hesitantly, “Do you want to see, um... what I look like in other clothes, Master Sain?”
She fidgeted, not meeting his gaze. Her behavior puzzled him, but he nodded nonetheless.
“Yeah, I think I’d appreciate seeing you in something else from time to time.”
“...All right. I’ll go change then.”
She turned and headed into the small boutique.
“What about you, Marni?” asked Alicia. “I haven’t seen you in casual clothing much, either.”
“...I’ll pass. I have to keep my head covered, anyway.”
“True. Maybe next time then.”
As a dark elf, Marni needed to be extra cautious about her appearance. She wasn’t comfortable with drawing attention to herself, so it was better for her to wear something low key during the battle expo.
“Okay, let’s go pick out some clothes for Melia!”
Brimming with enthusiasm, Alicia pulled Marni along into the boutique as well.
“Come on, Sain! You’re part of this too!”
“U-Uh, sure.”
He hesitated for a second when he realized it was a women’s boutique, but an impatient gesture from Alicia convinced him to steel himself and step in. As soon as they walked in, she set upon the clothing racks savagely, snatching everything she felt would suit Melia. Marni wasn’t as openly enthusiastic, but her softening countenance and long gazes at the display mannequins suggested she wasn’t entirely disinterested, either. It occurred to Sain that this was probably going to take a while.
“I think these’ll look great on you. They give off a tidy image. Oh, but then you’d look more or less the same as when you’re in your maid uniform. Maybe we should get a bit more aggressive...” said Alicia as she deliberated their options.
“Um... I’d prefer clothing that doesn’t show as much skin...”
“It’s okay, just try them on first. We can figure out the details later.”
She dismissed Melia’s concern with a wave of her hand and continued to pull more clothes off the racks. Sain nodded to himself, appreciating the way Alicia sifted through the dazzling array of garments like a seasoned professional. She was, he realized, arguably the most in tune with the prevailing trends of girls their age. Melia had been serving him as a maid since childhood and had very little time to indulge in what were commonly accepted as feminine pastimes. Marni was borderline antisocial, leaving her fairly obtuse with regard to fashion and fads. Out of the three girls, Alicia was the only one qualified for the job, and she did it with gusto, hurriedly ushering Melia to the changing room and handing her a couple of sets of clothing. Melia stepped in, and for the span of a minute, the rustling of clothes could be heard from behind the curtain. She then reappeared.
“Um... So, I changed, and...”
The Melia who stepped back out from behind the curtain was clothed in a soft blue shirt, the color of a summer lake, complemented by a white frilly skirt that reached almost down to her knees. Unlike her maid uniform, both pieces were made of a thin, pliant material that accentuated her form. The soft fabric danced to her every movement, giving off an air of fleeting beauty. She’d also removed her hairband, and the simpler design of the clothes offered little for the attention of onlookers. As a result, their eyes naturally gravitated to the wearer herself, further highlighting her natural beauty.
“Omigosh! You look so good in that!”
“Yeah... It softened your image.”
Melia struggled to respond, alternately puckering her lips and pressing them together but failing to produce any words. She seemed flustered but not entirely averse to the attention.
“Come on, Sain, don’t you have any comments to offer?”
Alicia slapped him on the back and he lurched forward a few steps, putting him face to face with Melia. Her eyes darted around, trying to avoid contact with his. She’d been fidgeting, but his sudden approach caused her to freeze. The confident nonchalance that had come to define her was nowhere to be found, replaced by a stiffness to her expression that bespoke an underlying nervousness as she awaited his verdict. He crossed his arms and carefully examined her from head to toe, as though evaluating every aspect of her appearance. Then, he nodded with satisfaction.
“Mmm. I like it. You look good.”
Alicia and Marni traded frowns.
“Does that... count as a positive reaction? I mean, it’s technically a compliment, but it sort of sounds like he’s just being polite.”
“...It’s him, so he probably means it. He’d probably say the same thing no matter what she wore. And he’d probably always mean it.”
They whispered their thoughts to one another before handing Melia another set of clothes.
“Here, Melia. Try some other ones on too.”
“...Do I have to? I’m fine with these.”
“Come on, just humor me, okay?”
Alicia pushed Melia into the changeroom again, and she reappeared a minute later in a new outfit. A white t-shirt peeked through the front of a long, elegant jacket made from a reddish brown fabric. It fell over a miniskirt, which further gave way to black tights. Compared to her first getup, this one had a calmer air and made her look more mature. Sensing she might have struck gold, Alicia whipped her head toward Sain and stared at him.
“Well?! What do you think?”
He crossed his arms and nodded with satisfaction.
“Mmm. I like it. It looks good.”
She frowned, apparently unimpressed with his response, and pushed Melia back into the changeroom with yet another set of clothing. Another minute passed, and the maid-turned-dress-up-doll stepped back out wearing a white striped top over a green gathered skirt. With every pulling back of the curtain, she and her outfit grew more classy. Her new skirt was clearly unfamiliar to her, and she played with it a little, holding up the hem and shaking it.
“Well?! How’s this?!” asked Alicia, her tone growing increasingly desperate.
Again, Sain nodded with satisfaction.
“Mmm. I like it. It looks good.”
She stifled a frustrated scream and repeated the same process. Yet another minute later, Melia appeared sporting a white long-sleeved shirt that fanned out at the wrist and a short, aquamarine apron dress. In contrast to her usual tidy image, this had the relaxed look of a girl out for some fun on her day off, which was further
contrasted with the rosy blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. The way she kept looking away from him, coupled with the appeal of the outfit itself, finally struck a chord that was buried deep within his heart, and he fumbled his delivery of the cross-arms-nod-head routine.
“And?! How’s this?!”
“U-Uh well, it, um... It looks very good on her,” he stammered nervously.
“All right, looks like we got ourselves a winner,” declared Alicia.
“...His reactions are way too easy to read,” muttered Marni.
At Alicia’s behest, Melia purchased this set of attire and wore it out of the boutique. As they left, Marni gave Sain a flat, admonishing look. He held his hands up, miming bewilderment. She rolled her eyes and ran a few steps to join the other two girls, leaving him feeling rather misunderstood. He wasn’t, in fact, just being polite with those compliments; he honestly thought Melia looked good in everything she tried on. She just happened to look even better in one particular outfit, which caught him off guard.
“I’m really not used to wearing this...” said Melia.
Her maid uniform had been folded up and placed in a bag. Currently, she was wandering through the lanes of festival stalls in her newly purchased clothes. The shorter length of the dress revealed more of her legs, leaving her feeling rather antsy, and she couldn’t help but glance at her exposed knees as she walked.
“Um... Are you really sure I look good in this?” she asked Sain in an apprehensive tone.
“Absolutely,” he replied with a firm nod. “Why don’t you start dressing like this more often from now on? Between after school and holidays, there should be plenty of chances for you to have some fun with fashion.”
“...If you say so. I’ll think about it.”
She turned her face down and looked away, but it didn’t hide the smile on her lips.
“Granted, this also seems like the kind of outfit that’s going to attract unwanted attention. I hope no one tries to hit on you,” he said as he looked around.
Many people near them stole furtive glances at her, blushing as they walked by. Melia had always looked mature for her age, and it was entirely possible that her onlookers didn’t realize she was still a student in the intermediate division.
“Don’t worry.” Alicia chimed in. “Not many people from the capital city are crazy enough to hit on Jenifa students.”
“...I guess you have a point.”
Jenifa Royal Magic Academy was famous for valuing competence above all else. Its students were known to be highly skilled, and unwelcome advances on them could have painful consequences.
“...Mostly due to Alicia,” Marni said in a low voice.
“Hm? Miss Grim, what do you mean by that?”
“...A while back, Alicia got hit on in Raskas, and she gave the guy one hell of a slap. It turned into a whole incident and made some headlines. Ever since then, people stopped hitting on Jenifa students.”
“Hey, Marni! You promised not to tell anyone about that...” said Alicia with an embarrassed look on her face.
“I-I see. So that’s what happened.”
“Yeah... It took the guy a full two weeks to recover, apparently.”
“Seriously?”
Sain could just imagine the scene of the guy trying to make a move on her, only to be sent flying. He almost pitied the poor fool.
“With that said, Miss Gold, you should perhaps rethink your tendency to resort to violence...”
He rubbed at the bump on his head, which he’d earned for teaching an impressionable young child about the allure of darkness.
“Hmph, it’s their fault for deserving it. Do you have any idea how annoying that guy was? He came on way too strong and he just wouldn’t go away, so I just smacked him a little.”
Marni gave her a flat look.
“Smacked him a little?”
Alicia grimaced and looked away.
“I have to say, though, I never knew that Miss Gold had, um... gotten hit on before,” said Sain.
That caused Alicia to perk up again.
“Well, now you know. In case you weren’t aware, I’m actually pretty popular around here.” She showed him a toothy grin. “What? Are you jealous?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m jealous, but I do sympathize with them. You are, after all, a very attractive person.”
“...I-I’ll never understand how you can say stuff like that with a straight face.”
Her cockiness proved short-lived, and she turned away with her hands on her cheeks, a red blush spanning ear to ear. It would have been endearing if a rather creepy giggle didn’t escape her a second later. Apparently, she’d found his comment equal parts embarrassing and gratifying.
A very attractive person... when you haven’t opened your mouth.
The words surfaced in Sain’s mind, but in a rare display of prudence, he decided to keep them to himself. They’d known each other since the first day of school, and he was starting to understand her better. He now knew what kind of things set her off, and that
was definitely one of them.
“Um, excuse me! Are you Sain?! One of the contestants in the battle expo?!”
An unfamiliar voice suddenly called his name. He turned to discover a girl wearing the intermediate division’s uniform. Her blue hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was gazing at him with eager interest.
“Yes, I am...”
The girl introduced herself in a bright voice.
“My name is Sasha! I’m an intermediate first year with the student newspaper!”
Jenifa was home to a variety of student clubs, and Sain had learned of the newspaper club’s existence when he was walking down the school’s hallway one day and a copy of the paper they’d made happened to be posted on the bulletin board on the wall.
“The paper is currently interviewing contestants who made it to the third round of the tournament. Could I have a few moments of your time?” asked Sasha.
Sain and the three girls traded glances.
“If it’s just a few questions, I’d say go ahead,” said Alicia.
Marni and Melia agreed, so he turned to Sasha and nodded.
“All right. We don’t mind.”
“Thank you very much! Let’s start—” She lowered her head in gratitude but paused when she looked back up, her eyes settling on the girl beside him. “Wait a minute. Is that... Melia?”
“It certainly is,” she answered.
“Wow! I didn’t recognize you at first! Hmm, I have to say, the usual outfit is plenty attractive, but this new look you’re sporting is no slouch either. Then again, I guess I should expect nothing less from one of the intermediate division’s four madonnas!”
Melia lifted one eyebrow as high as it would go.
“...Four madonnas? What?”
“So, the boys decided to go ahead and rate all the girls in your division and came up with a ranking chart. They call the girls in the top four spots the four madonnas. Two of them are first years, by the way, and one of them happens to be you. The other is Yuria. You know, one of the Eldis twins.”
Sain hadn’t ever heard of this ranking chart, and judging by how his companions’ reactions were all variations on “Huh. Okay then,” they hadn’t either. It didn’t surprise him that Melia and Yuria occupied the top spots, though. Both of them had undeniably pretty features.
“Just for your information, Alicia was also in contention for the top four spots, but lost out when a bunch of boys said she’s more monster than madonna.”
“I’m what?!
”
“Augh! Ow! Ow! This is it! This is exactly what they mean!” Sasha exclaimed, her limbs flailing as Alicia grabbed her face and squeezed.
Sain hurriedly stepped in to stop Alicia from succumbing to her inner barbarian.
“Geez,” complained Sasha after she was released. “You almost broke my face...”
“You
broke a maiden’s heart!”
“Eh? A maiden? Where?”
It occurred then to Sain that this Sasha girl was not a particularly discreet individual.
“Okay, that’s it.”
Alicia went in for the kill, and it took a great deal of convincing from the other three to stop her. She was still fuming, though, and her anger found a new target: Sain.
“Wait a minute, if it’s the boys in our division who said that, then...” she growled. “Saaaaaaain?”
“Eep!” He squealed. “H-Hold on! I have no idea what she was talking about! This is the first time I’ve heard of it!”
“Enough excuses. Get your traitorous butt over here.”
She took a menacing step toward him. Sensing impending danger to his person, he started backing away from her.
“Actually, when this conversation happened, Sain was being ostracized as usual, so I think you can trust him on that,” said Sasha.
“R-Really? Ostracized as usual, huh... I guess that does make him trustworthy.”
“...Being trusted has never felt so bad,” mumbled Sain.
Sasha’s testimony proved his innocence, but it came at the cost of his dignity.
“As for how the ‘monster’ image came about for Alicia,” Sasha continued, “I did hear a lot of people say it was because they kept seeing her smack Sain around.”
“See?! It’s your fault after all!” exclaimed Alicia.
“That is literally
the opposite of what she said!”
Sain flailed his arms indignantly at her egregious attempt to shift the blame. Granted, there were plenty of times when it was
his fault, but this was definitely not one of them.
“Anyway, now that we’re all nice and familiar with each other, can I start interviewing the two of you, already? Let’s start with some simple self-introductions!” said Sasha, who pulled them back on topic.
Sain was still bristling from the profound injustice he’d suffered, but he made an effort to put it behind him for a moment and straightened himself.
“I’m Sain Fostess, an intermediate first year, and I’m aiming to become the dark knight.”
“I’m Melia, also an intermediate first year, and I’m the attendant of the Darkness Dork here.”
“Stop calling me Darkness Dork, damn it,” he complained while keeping a straight face.
“Thank you for introducing yourselves. Next, I’d like to ask a few questions. The first is for Darkness Dork— Excuse me, I mean, Sain.”
“Okay, hold on. That was definitely intentional.”
“As a contestant entering the third round of the tournament, there will surely be growing curiosity about what kind of person you are.”
“Hey, you can’t just ignore—”
“To that end, could you tell us a little about how you usually spend your days here at the academy?”
“...You’re a cheeky one, aren’t you?”
He could hear Alicia and Marni snickering behind him, and he had to clench his fists and take a deep breath to suppress another wave of irritation.
“Fine, whatever,” he said, yielding. “Anyway, like I was saying, my goal is to become the dark knight, so I spend most of my free time learning dark magic.”
“Hmm, learning dark magic, you say?”
“That’s right. During downtime between classes, I read textbooks about dark magic. After school, I go either to the library tower to look for other books or the training gyms to practice actual fighting. My days off are more or less the same. Oh, I should also mention that Miss Grim here is my mentor.”
He gestured at Marni, who cautiously pulled her hood a little further down over her head as Sasha looked in her direction.
“The dark elf Marni, otherwise known as the master of the library tower, I presume? I see... So you’re studying under her. There’s a lot of talk right now among students about how you’ve suddenly gotten stronger. Is her mentorship the reason for that?”
“It absolutely is. Miss Grim helped me a great deal during the field exercises as well. Without her... I’d never have managed to come this far,” he said in an earnest tone, which caused Marni to look away in embarrassment.
“I see, I see...” mumbled Sasha as she furiously scribbled notes. Then, she looked at her second interviewee. “What about you, Melia? How do you spend your days here at the academy?”
“I’m Master Sain’s attendant, so... I’m mostly in the same places. Usually, I’m helping him do whatever he needs done, but I spend most of my time around him even when I’m doing my own thing.”
“Are the two of you together on your days off as well?”
“Yes. I’m his attendant, after all,” she answered with a tone of professionalism.
“I see that the rumors are true. The two of you are indeed very close to each other.”
“Are we?” asked Sain and Melia in unison. They eyed each other quizzically.
“Oh, I see what’s going on. A clueless pair,” Sasha muttered to herself with a sigh before addressing them again. “Many students attending Jenifa are nobility, so attendants aren’t exactly unheard of. Those who spend every waking moment with their master, though, are definitely a rare breed. Normally, they trade shifts with other attendants after school or during days off.”
“They do?” asked Sain.
“Yes. Your current arrangement is rather extraordinary.” Sasha lowered her voice to a whisper, but it didn’t hide the bubbling curiosity in her tone. “Excuse me, but would you say the relationship between the two of you goes beyond that of a student and his attendant?”
Sain sighed and was just about to deny the claim when Melia answered first.
“It’s complicated. In a way... it’s both yes and no.”
“B-Both yes and no...?”
Sasha’s eyes went wide. Sain, taken aback by Melia’s answer, hastily whispered in her ear.
“Hey, Maid, what was that supposed to mean?”
“I’m also the attendant of the holy knight, after all,” she whispered back before letting out a knowing giggle.
Technically, what she said wasn’t wrong, but it seemed like the kind of remark that was going to cause misunderstandings down the road — not that he could do anything about it, since he had no way of explaining its nuances.
“D-Details! Can you give me more details?!” exclaimed Sasha. Her gaze was intense, almost hungry.
“Unfortunately, I can offer no further details. All I can say is that we’re sort of special. Our relationship is a little more than just a student and his attendant,” replied Melia, purposefully opting for a vague and suggestive answer.
“This... is a heck of a scoop!”
Sasha gulped as she scribbled even more furiously in her notepad. The interview continued for some time, as Sain and Melia answered questions about topics that ranged from their hobbies and talents to what they were doing before they came to the academy. They kept their responses fairly innocuous. For obvious reasons, neither mentioned a word about their holy knight activities. For questions that couldn’t be answered honestly, they played off each other’s lies to craft a cohesive fiction.
“All right. Last set of questions,” said Sasha as her pen came to a stop. “What are your thoughts on your next opponents? Do you feel confident that you’ll win? If so, is there any reasoning you’d like to share?” she asked, gesturing at Sain to go first.
Sain pressed his thumb to his chin and contemplated his answer. His opponent for the third match was the younger of the Eldis twins, Yuria. After collecting his thoughts, he gave a frank reply.
“I think it’s going to be a tough match for me. Yuria is a formidable opponent, and slugging it out toe-to-toe with her is unlikely to work out in my favor. Furthermore, she’s also the clever type, so I doubt I’ll have much luck trying to outwit her.”
“You seem very familiar with Yuria’s characteristics. Do you know her well?”
“Yes. We battled each other during the field exercises. At the time, I was fortunate enough to have the help of my friends here and thereby claimed victory. This time... it will be one on one. I’ll need to have a plan going in.”
“A plan, you say?”
“I feel like she’s not used to close-quarters combat. If I can get in her face, I might have a chance.”
“I see...”
Sasha dutifully wrote his answer into her notepad.
“What about you, Melia? Your opponent is the student council president, so...”
“Well, at this point, I don’t think I need to say much about him,” she answered. “As pretty much everyone knows, he’s one of those master-of-all-trades-and-jack-of-none types. Trying to outsmart an opponent like that with some sort of cheap trick tends to backfire, so I intend to face him head-on.”
“In other words, it’s going to be a clash of raw skill and power. How confident are you that you’ll win?”
Melia paused for a second before replying.
“No comment.”
Sasha nodded with understanding at her deflection. Then, after flipping through her notepad to confirm she didn’t forget to ask any questions, she stood up.
“Thank you very much for your time today! The contents of this interview will probably be talked about by the commentators before tomorrow’s match, so look forward to that!”
She bid them an energetic goodbye and ran off.
“So, the battle expo is only getting started,” mused Sain as he watched Sasha and her blue ponytail disappear into the crowd. “It looks like tomorrow is when things really start heating up.”
There was undoubtedly a lot of fierce competition in store, and the news club was out in force interviewing contestants to capitalize on the audience’s enthusiasm.
“I’m a little thirsty from talking so much,” said Melia.
“Yeah, let’s find some place to relax for a bit,” concurred Sain.
He looked around for a spot where they could get some rest.
“...Everywhere’s full of people,” muttered Marni.
It was three in the afternoon — exactly when fatigue was starting to kick in for the visitors and everyone felt like taking a break. Stores with seated tables were packed full, outdoor benches were already claimed, and even the stairs in front of buildings were occupied. Just as they were starting to dread the prospect of having nowhere to go, they heard a bright female voice nearby.
“Thank you very much, Master, and we hope you come again!”
It belonged to a girl who was bidding goodbye to a group of four men who had just stepped out of a cafe with a pink sign.
“Huh. Isn’t that the maid cafe Sain got all fascinated with in the morning?” asked Alicia.
“...It looks like four seats just opened up,” added Marni.
A waitress dressed in a monochrome maid uniform stood at the entrance. It was indeed the store on the flyer Sain had gotten before his first match, and the four men leaving meant there were exactly enough open seats for them. However, with Sain having bungled his interaction with the maid earlier in the day and hurt Melia’s feelings, walking in there now seemed like a great way to make things very awkward. Three pairs of eyes inadvertently shifted toward Melia.
“...It’s fine. Don’t mind me,” she said. “In fact, I’m also sort of curious about how the maids in places like these work, so... feel free to go in.”
“R-Really? Okay, well, let’s go, then?” suggested Alicia.
Seeing that Melia wasn’t bothered by the incident in the morning anymore, they relaxed and headed toward the maid cafe.
“I mean, Sain did
say that Melia’s the one and only maid for him. After a statement like that, there’s no way he’d be interested in some random maids in a cafe, right? Melia’s leaps and bounds beyond them,” Alicia added.
Sain nodded.
“Right. What happened this morning was a misunderstanding. I was caught off guard. That’s all. They might be wearing maid uniforms, but they’re mere amateurs on the inside. They’ve got nothing on a professional like yourself,” he said in an attempt to sweet-talk her into letting his earlier blunder slide.
“...Really? Do you really
mean that?”
“I do! I swear I do! As a matter of fact, I didn’t even remember that cafe existed until we saw it just now!” he exclaimed passionately. “I mean, I’ve got a real maid who’s been with me for years! What use do I have with a place like that? I have no interest in seeing what’s inside. We’re only going in because it just happened to be the one place that’s not full. Otherwise, I’d be fine going anywhere else.”
“...Okay already. If you really meant what you said, then it’s fine.” Melia looked away. “It’s still nice of you to make it clear though, so... thanks.”
A hint of a smile appeared on her face. Seeing that Hurricane Melia had dissipated, Sain quietly breathed out in relief.
“Nice one, Sain. Looks like you’re starting to figure out the female psyche.”
“A-Am I? I’m not really sure, to be honest, but if you say so, then I guess I am.”
Alicia and Marni criticized him on an almost daily basis about how he didn’t understand how girls think. He wasn’t aware that he’d improved in any way but, apparently, he was getting better at it. Figuring it must be some sort of subconscious thing, he set the matter aside in his mind and followed the girls into the cafe. As they stepped through the entrance, they were greeted by two maids, one on each side.
“Welcome home, Master!”
An alien world stretched out before them. Almost everything, from the wallpaper to the couches, was some shade of pink. At each table, waitresses in maid uniforms served the customers in much closer proximity than Sain was used to seeing in such establishments, and they conversed with a sense of intimacy.
“Wh-Whoa...”
The novel sight drew from him a breath of awe.
“This way to your seats please. By the way, Master, if you happen to have one of the flyers our maids were handing out this morning, you can receive a discount on your drinks,” said the waitress as she showed them to their table.
“Huh. Flyers. I do remember seeing one of those,” Alicia said, scratching her head.
“...But didn’t we throw it away already?” asked Marni.
“You mean this?” said Sain, casually reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a flyer.
“Wow! You have one! Thank you so much for holding on to our flyer, Master!”
“Yeah, I figured it might come in handy like this, so I was keeping it safe— Eep!”
Feeling a sudden sense of mortal danger behind him, Sain spun around.
“You were what?
”
He found Melia glaring at him, her eyes wide with outrage.
“Uh, wait, I mean—”
“Keeping it safe, huh? Were you now, Master Sain? I guess you must have really wanted to come to this cafe. I see, I see. So that’s how it is.”
“Wait, listen to me, Maid! This is a complete coincidence. The thing looked sort of fancy, so I just held on to it. That’s it. I know what this looks like, but it’s definitely not what I was trying to do! This is not about me secretly wanting to check out the waitresses here! I swear!”
His desperate pleading fell on deaf ears.
“Seeing as you like this place so much, here’s a little riddle for you,” she said with venom in her voice. “What starts with ‘m’ and ends with ‘aid’? And is something you’re going to need very very soon?”
“E-Erm...” he stammered. “I-It’s not ‘maid’, is it?”
“Medical aid
.”
“Eeep!”
Sain recoiled in terror. He’d done it. The flyer had been the last straw. He’d made Melia snap. Granted, he was technically telling the truth. It was an eye-catching flyer and he’d never seen anything like it before, so he’d reflexively stuffed it in his pocket. Of course, even he had to admit some part of him definitely wanted to go take a look. After all, “having zero interest in a cafe” and “carefully stowing away its flyer in his coat pocket and carrying it around all day” were fundamentally at odds with one another.
Alicia leaned over and whispered in his ear as they were led to their seats.
“By the way, I take back what I said about you and the female psyche. You didn’t learn a thing.”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” he muttered.
“Also, you really need to start figuring this out. Before you end up in a coffin.”
“A coffin?!”
He paled at the word, its ring far more ominous than any of his theatrics could ever muster.
After sitting down, Sain and his companions looked through the menu and ordered some drinks. A few minutes later, a maid came back with them.
“Your order is here, Master. Here are your lattes, and here’s your apple tea,” she said, setting the former down in front of Marni and Melia, and the latter in front of Alicia. “Please enjoy.”
She gave them a friendly smile before leaving.
“Huuuuh...”
Sain’s gaze lingered on the girl as she walked away.
“Stop ogling.”
“S-Sorry.”
Melia’s curt command caused him to hastily look back down at the table. To be fair, he wasn’t actually mesmerized by the girl; he was taking in the air of the cafe itself and enjoying its exotic allure. This was unfortunately not apparent to an observer, who did not have access to the inner workings of his mind, resulting in rather unfavorable interpretations of his behavior. Melia, for example, had been quietly fuming ever since they’d sat down.
“Mmm, this is really good,” remarked Alicia as she took a sip of her apple tea.
“...The service is surprisingly mediocre. I expected more,” said Marni, evidently less impressed by the establishment.
“Yeah, but considering there are kids from the junior division running around, they probably had to tone things down a little... as evidenced by that poster over there.”
Alicia pointed at an advertisement posted on the wall, which urged customers to visit their main store in the capital city for more “extensive” service.
“And here is your cappuccino with latte art,” said the waitress, who’d returned with Sain’s order. “Do you have any particular requests for your latte art, Master?”
Having pondered the issue previously, he crossed his arms and declared without hesitation, “The dark dragon’s emblem please.”
“Th-The dark dragon’s... emblem?”
“Indeed. It’s said that there exists a secret organization in the West Continent which worships dark dragons... and the ominous symbol that defines their beliefs is the dark dragon’s emble— Ow!”
He yelped when Alicia reached across with her leg and stomped on his foot. She then grabbed his right hand and, ignoring his pained groan, held it up to show the waitress a ring he was wearing.
“Can you draw something like the thing on this ring?”
“Absolutely!”
The waitress grinned confidently and quickly got to work. With milk and a spoon, she soon produced a pattern on the frothy surface of his drink.
“And there we go! Done!”
Floating on the top layer of his cappuccino was an impressively accurate recreation of the pattern on his ring.
“Wh-Whoa...”
“Huh. That’s actually pretty good.”
Sain marveled at it. Even Alicia couldn’t help but express some awe.
“It’s so beautiful that it’d be a waste to drink,” said Sain with a pained expression.
“I appreciate your compliment, Master, but it’d be more of a waste if it got cold before you managed to drink it.”
“True. Let’s have a go at it then.”
He brought the cup to his mouth and took a sip. A stream of sweet, foamy goodness flowed past his lips and bathed his tongue before slowly giving way to the distinctive piquancy of coffee. The two tastes — sweet and bitter — complemented each other well, melding into a unique flavor that was easy on the senses and could be enjoyed by children and adults alike.
“Mmm... Delicious.”
“Thank you very much!” The waitress cheerfully bowed at him before looking back up at him and frowning. “Oh no, Master, you got a little bit on yourself. Here, let me get that for you.”
She produced a handkerchief from her pocket and leaned toward him. The unexpected gesture caught him completely by surprise, and he froze as her face neared his. Then, she touched the cloth to his lips and removed a small remnant of his drink with a quick wipe.
“There we go. All good now,” she said, folding up the napkin with a smile.
“E-Erm... Uh, thanks.”
“Oh, Master, you can be so sloppy sometimes. But that’s what makes you adorable— Eek!”
Unbeknownst to Sain, throughout the entire exchange, Melia had been staring daggers at the girl, who recoiled like startled prey when she noticed. The motion caused her to bump the table with her leg, which spilled some of the cappuccino.
“I-I’m so sorry, Master! I’ll make a new one for you right away!”
She used the same napkin to wipe down the table before running away toward the kitchen like she’d seen a ghost. Sain scratched his head, perplexed by her reaction. Alicia and Marni, neither of whom had caught a glimpse of Melia’s murderous glare, looked at each other with puzzled expressions as well.
“What’s gotten into her?”
“...Who knows.”
Sain glanced at his cup with a hint of regret.
“I have to say, that was a pretty impressive piece of work.”
“Yeah. We don’t get to see much latte art around here,” agreed Alicia.
Melia was not impressed.
“That’s got nothing to do with being a maid.”
“Well, I guess that’s true,” said Sain, taking care to temper his tone to avoid ruffling Melia’s feathers further, “but personally, I’m fond of skills like those that can bring joy to someone else. I know it definitely brought me joy. It’s got its own kind of charm, you know? A kind of charm that real, professional maids don’t have.”
He might have tempered his tone, but he failed to select his words carefully. As soon as he said that, Melia shot to her feet.
“...Excuse me for a moment.”
She walked away without another word. After she disappeared behind a corner, Alicia shot him a reproachful glare.
“What was that for, Sain? Why would you sing the praises of other maids in front of her?”
“S-Sorry, I was just making an observation. It wasn’t meant to make Maid look bad or anything...”
“I swear, one of these days, you’re going to wake up with a knife in your chest.”
“A knife?!”
He wanted to argue that was going a little too far but, aware that he did hurt Melia’s feelings, chose to remain silent and engage in some honest self-reflection. They waited for a good five minutes, but there was still no sign of her.
“...What’s taking her so long?” Marni murmured.
Just then, a maid came bearing Sain’s replacement order.
“Here you go. One cappuccino with latte art.”
She placed the cup down in front of him.
“Ah, thank— Huh? Maid?”
He looked at the girl and froze.
“Yes, I am indeed a maid. Any other questions?”
It wasn’t one of the waitresses but Melia who’d brought him his drink. She was wearing her usual maid uniform, having changed into it presumably after she’d excused herself from their table.
“So, Master, I hear you wanted a dark dragon’s emblem for your latte art. Here you go then.”
Sain and the other two girls watched with bewilderment as she began pouring milk into the cup, gently agitating it with a thin spoon in the process. Within seconds, a distinct pattern appeared on the surface of his cappuccino.
“Th-This is... definitely the dark dragon’s emblem! It’s impeccable!” he exclaimed with astonishment.
“I can’t believe you actually managed this,” said Alicia. “There’s so much detail.”
“...Not to sound mean, but the one from the other girl looks like child’s play in comparison,” added Marni.
The sheer quality of Melia’s latte art elicited comments of earnest admiration from the other two girls.
“I can make stuff like this too, you know,” said Melia as she shot Sain a sullen gaze.
“Uh, right.”
Her gaze darkened into a glower and she leaned over him.
“I can make stuff like this too, you know
.”
“Okay! Okay! I get it! I’ll ask you to do it next time! I’m sorry for what I said!”
He raised his hands in submission and begged forgiveness. His prior comment about how professional maids lacked skills with the kind of charm that could bring joy to others had clearly rubbed her the wrong way. Now that Melia had demonstrated the same skill, but with an artistic proficiency that outstripped the other waitress by leaps and bounds, he made a sincere apology and retracted the offending statement. The gesture seemed to satisfy Melia, who nodded with satisfaction at his forehead-on-table pose of apology, and she returned to her seat.
“Mmm... You know what? I think I still feel most comfortable in this outfit,” she said as she gave her maid uniform a pat.
Evidently feeling more at ease in familiar attire, she leaned back and took a sip of her own latte.
“By the way, where did you get that cappuccino from?” asked Alicia.
“I went to the back counter and told them I’m a professional maid and that I’d like to bring the drinks over myself. They were okay with it.”
That was definitely classic Melia; even during a bout of sullen displeasure, she never failed to follow proper protocol and ask permission.
“Huh. That reminds me. Maid, you know what the dark dragon’s emblem looks like?”
“Of course I do.” She took another sip for effect before answering. “Because I do my homework. No self-respecting maid would allow herself to be ignorant of her master’s tastes and interests.”
That was exactly the kind of thing that no maid cafe waitress could ever manage. It was a feat possible for Melia alone, because she attended to him and him only. She had no other master, and had served him with all her heart for as long as they’d known each other. The maids from the cafe had pleasant smiles and were eager to please, but they had no idea what his hobbies or talents were; they knew nothing about him as a person. That was what set Melia apart from all the other maids here, and it was what made their relationship unique — she was his
maid. Having realized that vital distinction, he smiled.
“You are indeed the one and only maid for me.”
“...Good, because I’m all you need.”
She brought her cup to her lips again. This time, it was to hide the smile that had crept across them.
Two hours later, after leaving the cafe and finishing their tour of the stalls, they decided to call it a day.
“See you tomorrow.”
“...We’ll still be cheering for you.”
At the main school gate, Alicia and Marni waved goodbye and headed off toward their dorm rooms. Jenifa Royal Magic Academy had multiple student dormitories, and the two of them lived in a separate building.
“Shall we head back too?” asked Melia.
“Yeah. It’s still early, but it’ll be good to get some rest so I can be in tip-top shape for tomorrow,” answered Sain.
They started walking toward their dorm as well. The boisterous atmosphere of the festival had calmed under the orange hues of the evening sun, and the crowds had thinned considerably. There were two more days of the magic battle expo, after all, and many visitors probably figured it would be unwise to run themselves ragged on the first day.
“Maid, tell me something... What are
your chances, actually? Do you think you can win against Cain?”
“I’m not quite sure. He’s the kind of person who has taken down Chaos single-handedly, after all. That puts him on a completely different level.”
“Yeah, he has, hasn’t he? During the field exercises...”
Chaos were far stronger than normal monsters, and yet the student council president had been able to defeat them, not only by himself but apparently with ease. It seemed likely that none of his regular classmates would even stand a chance against him. Melia, however, was not regular; she was also exceptionally powerful compared to her peers. What would happen when the two butted heads? Sain, for one, was eager to find out.
“Hm? Hey, isn’t that...”
Looking ahead, he discovered the sight of a girl he recognized.
“...The vice-president?”
The student council vice-president, Emilia, stood at the side of the road, her expression troubled. Her purple hair fluttered occasionally in the breeze, but she was otherwise motionless. Recalling that she’d stepped in to deescalate the situation when Roxas had been harassing him during tournament registration, he approached her. If she was dealing with some sort of problem, then this would be a good chance to repay the debt.
“Hey, Emilia. What’re you doing standing around in a place like this?”
His voice seemed to snap her out of her thoughts, and she turned around with surprise.
“Who’s th— Oh, it’s Sain and Melia. I... wasn’t doing anything, really.”
“I see. So... the ‘staring out into the distance with a troubled expression on your face’ thing is just something you do for fun?”
“...I was doing some thinking,” she replied with intentional terseness. “I see you both made it through the first day of the tournament.”
“Hah. Of course we did,” he said proudly. “On that note, are you here by yourself? Where’s Cain?”
He looked around, but the president was nowhere to be found.
“He’s...” Concern clouded Emilia’s expression. She opened her mouth to speak, paused, and reconsidered. “I’m sorry, but do you have some time? I need to talk to you about something.”
Her tone suggested whatever she needed to talk about, it was not to be taken lightly.
Having met each other only a handful of times, Sain was, at best, only mildly acquainted with Emilia. Nevertheless, there was something almost desperate about the way she asked to speak with him, and he figured it would be wise to listen. A glance at Melia revealed that she agreed.
“I won’t take too long.”
She evidently meant what she said, as rather than a cafe where they could sit down, she instead led them into a nearby alleyway, where she proceeded to get right to the point.
“I just want to know what he’s up to. That’s all.”
Sain frowned, failing to understand what she was looking for.
“...What do you mean?”
“I mean... Um...”
Her hesitation suggested that whatever was troubling her, it was complicated. Seeing that she was struggling to find the right words, Melia stepped in to help.
“You’re talking about your president, right? Let’s take this one step at a time. Why don’t you first tell us what kind of person he is to you?”
It was an invitation for her to collect her thoughts by beginning with something that should come naturally to her. The question had its intended effect. Though she still stuttered at times, her eyes went distant and she started speaking.
“The president, he’s... a very genuine person. Honest through and through, and in that sense, very likeable.” As Emilia continued, the words came more easily to her. “He’s not fond of compromises, and he’s always very strict on himself... He tries to do everything perfectly, both in his academics and his work in the student council... Whenever the council members rely on him for something, he never lets us down... He’s like... a ray of light. Strong and steady and sincere.”
Her cheeks filled with color as she spoke. Sain noticed the change and smiled.
“You really care about him, don’t you?”
“...Yes.” She nodded slowly. “But there’s... probably also another side to him... A side he doesn’t show us.”
She paused and bit her lip, the silence inadvertently creating a moment of dramatic anticipation. With a pained expression, she continued.
“Last month, there was a day when I went to the student council office early in the morning... and I found him inside, and he was... he was a mess. Bruises, gashes, everything... So many wounds. He was hurt everywhere.”
“Hurt... everywhere?” echoed an astonished Sain.
She nodded.
“You’re students here, so you understand my shock, right? This is him
we’re talking about — the person who has defeated everyone he ever fought without breaking a sweat — and he was hurt all over. There was so much blood... He looked like he was about to die right there and then.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. Then, keeping her gaze downcast, she clenched her jaw and continued. “I asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me. He’s stubbornly honest, so he’d never lie. Instead, he just refused to say anything. I tried talking to him. Many times. I told him I was worried about him, but every time, he just pushed me away without batting an eye. Every time... he just tells me it’s none of my business...”
Then, she looked up and stared straight at Sain.
“That was when I noticed he became unusually interested in you.” Her amber eyes were sharp and interrogating. “Sain Fostess, you know something, don’t you? What is he doing behind our backs? What in the world is he hiding from us?”
Sain held her gaze, his expression unchanged and his lips still. In the ensuing silence, he thought about what Emilia said and quickly put two and two together. The side of Cain Theresia that he refused to show others... almost certainly had something to do with fighting Chaos. After considerable contemplation, he chose to lie.
“...Sorry, but I don’t know anything.”
He didn’t know what Cain’s intentions were, but anything involving Chaos was sensitive information. Careless dissemination of such knowledge would only drag unwitting bystanders into the conflict and create more victims.
“I see.”
Emilia looked crestfallen from his answer.
“...You’re really worried about him, huh?”
“Of course I am,” she said in a firm tone. “I’m his assistant. I spend a lot of time helping him with his duties, so you can be sure I’ll notice when he’s behaving strangely. Sometimes, he just runs off somewhere with a weapon in his hand. Even when he’s in the school, there are moments when he’d just stop and look out the window into the distance. I’ve seen his eyes when he does that, and they were... so terribly cold. I know I’m probably not making much sense to you, and I won’t blame you for thinking I’m going crazy... but I know what I saw. And I get the feeling that when he disappears, he’s out there fighting something. Maybe he’s doing it for some greater good... but to me, it just looks like he’s indulging his own self-destructive tendencies.”
“...Maybe he has his reasons for doing so.”
That brought a sad smile to her lips.
“Reasons? What kind of reasons would push him to fight until he’s mere inches from dying and still refuse to ask others for help? And if there are such reasons... are they worth it?”
Again, there was silence, but this time, it was tinged with sorrow.
“...Thank you for your time,” she said eventually.
“I’m... sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
He apologized with a polite bow of his head before asking her a question in return.
“Tell me one thing. That time when you found him covered in blood... Do you remember what day it was?”
She thought about it for a moment.
“It was... the beginning of last month. The day after the field exercises were canceled.”
They parted ways afterward. Sain and Melia watched as Emilia left the alley and walked off toward the school.
“Judging from the timing, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that his injuries were from fighting off the Chaos that showed up on the last day of the field exercises,” said Melia.
“Yeah...”
On the final day of the field exercises, Cain had wiped out multiple creatures of Chaos in the blink of an eye, and he’d done it with them watching. He’d made it look effortless, but the reality was probably different. The fight had cost him numerous injuries. It was, in fact, rather obvious, now that he stopped to think about it. Taking on hordes of Chaos and coming out unscathed was a feat reserved for the holy knight. No normal human was capable of performing such a feat.
“Rushing toward his own death, huh...”
It was true that dealing with Chaos required extreme discretion, and Cain’s silence on the matter was understandable. However, they were not an opponent he could fight on his own. In his mind, Sain could picture the sight of a single warrior in a lonely crusade against Chaos. He’d seen this before. As his vision began to blend with his memories, the figure of Cain blurred and took on the shape of a young girl.
“Is something wrong?”
He regarded the girl beside him, who looked up at him with eyes full of color and life, and shook his head.
“...No, nothing’s wrong.”
A stifling swirl of emotions filled his chest. He swallowed and resumed their journey back to the dorm.