There was no note, but who had left it required no thought. Alice Winterbell. Echi stared at the tray. Something fluttered strangely in her chest. Inside her head, ValderGiosa cackled.
"Stop laughing, it's making my head ring."
[She's adorable. I had my doubts about her at first, I almost regretted not killing her when I had the chance.]
Echi ignored that and ate. She was supposed to meet Baraha at the stables again today.
Baraha had offered to skip squire training, given that the freshman ranking competition was tomorrow, and do personal training instead.
Echi had turned him down.
'I should have just said yes.'
She regretted it as she laid out the day's clothes, stiff with muscle soreness. Every small movement pulled at something. The low fever seemed to be settling in more firmly.
But she wasn't going to rest because of a cold. She was a Master. When she pushed mana through her body, she could override fatigue and illness and keep moving. Even without mana, she could manage well enough that no one would notice.
She had collected Giosa for nine years without once stopping for a fever.
For the stables she chose a short dress in deep brown with beige lace, thin and spring-appropriate, but with long sleeves and a high neck that would at least take the edge off.
She used mana to pull her stockings on and arrange her accessories; her arms felt too heavy to bother with them directly. Then she used mana to manage her makeup as well.
[Using mana for makeup. Of all the...]
"My arms are sore."
It took longer than usual. Echi checked her face one last time to make sure the fever wasn't visible before heading to the stables.
Baraha was already there.
"You really don't need to do this when the ranking competition is tomorrow."
"There's a lot to learn. With only a month of probation, and a monster hunt in the middle of it, I don't have time to be careful about it."
"…You'll obviously make top three, but don't take the other cadets for granted, Echi."
Baraha laughed. Echi followed him into the stables and answered calmly
"I'm not taking them for granted."
"Then what?"
"I'm simply aware of my own abilities."
He twitched his lips and then laughed properly, shoulders moving, barely able to speak. He gestured toward Sylphide.
"Ha...right. Anyway. Today we'll finish the mane and tail from yesterday, then I'll show you how to saddle and pack the gear."
"Thank you."
Sylphide stood placidly as usual.
Echi brushed the horse, fitted the saddle, and packed the tack and saddlebag carefully under Baraha's instruction. She was quietly on edge in case Yurien appeared again, but the stable stayed quiet.
By late afternoon, Baraha spoke up.
"That's enough. The ranking competition is tomorrow, after all."
"I really am fine."
"Still.I have to go see the Lord this afternoon. And, come to think of it, yesterday…"
He stopped, frowning. Something had come back to him about going to see Baron after Yurien's instruction.
Baron had looked faintly confused when he arrived: 'I said to stop by before you left for the day. Are you here already?'
Had Yurien misrepresented Baron's message?
"Senior Baraha?"
"Nothing. Anyway — I have to go. You did well today. Do well tomorrow. I'll be watching."
"Yes. Thank you for today."
Echi gave a small wave, gathering her hem. She was composed enough that Baraha noticed nothing wrong before he left.
She went straight to the water tap afterward, brushed off straw and dust, washed her hands, and pressed a damp handkerchief to her cheeks. The low fever was making her light-headed.
"I should go lie down."
[First time I've seen you sick. You've been hurt plenty, but not sick.]
"My body just isn't used to this yet. To actually build it back up properly, that'll take at least a year."
She trailed off. Someone was approaching. A presence she didn't particularly want to meet.
'Ian Pelletro.'
She wanted to avoid it, but he was coming from the only direction of the tap's entrance. As she stepped out, there he was, smiling warmly, right on cue.
"Echinacea! I was looking for you. Baraha said he'd just left the stables, so I figured you might be here."
"Hello, Senior. Is there something you need?"
"The matchups for the freshman ranking competition need to be finalized."
He pulled a leather pouch from his pocket, loosened the string, and held it out to her.
"No record yet, so we're drawing lots. Go ahead."
"Yes."
Inside were folded slips of paper. She drew one at random, and Ian spoke as she did.
"You're aiming for top three, right? For the monster hunt?"
"Yes. Did Senior Baraha tell you?"
"He did. Makes sense, the Commander's squire can't exactly miss the top three, right? No pressure."
"Right."
She didn't want to extend this. She unfolded the slip. Number 8.
"Not the luckiest draw, Echinacea."
Ian clicked his tongue and pulled out the bracket, writing her name in the number 8 slot.
The competition was a tournament format. Wins advanced, losses eliminated.
"Your first opponent is Michael. You know Michael, Michael von Franz Almari? Teresa's younger brother. He's one of the three first-years Fatima told you to watch."
"If you win, you'll face Alice next. Though you've already beaten her once. Still, you need to beat Michael first. I'm looking forward to it."
He patted her shoulder with a friendly smile. Was this draw a coincidence? Echi was fairly certain it wasn't, but she simply nodded.
"Thank you, Senior."
No matter what the bracket looked like, it made no real difference. As Ian looked down at her, about to say something else, Echi's senses sharpened. A familiar presence.
Yurien, passing nearby.
"Echinacea?"
Ian called her name in confusion. Echi smoothed away the tension that had crossed her face.
"Yes, Senior."
She had cleared the expression on the outside. But every sense she had was tracking Yurien. He had been heading toward the stables, and then he stopped. Instead of entering, he turned toward the water tap.
'He should be going to Sylphide. Why is he coming this way?'
She grumbled inwardly, dizzy and worn down. Then another thought surfaced.
'Did he come here specifically to check on me?'
If Yurien suspected she might be the demon of the cursed sword, it would make sense to watch her constantly.
She might be unpredictable. From his perspective, having the cursed sword's potential master walking freely through his territory, the one he had devoted his life to protecting, would warrant close surveillance.
Appointing her as squire could simply be the most efficient way to keep her under direct watch.
That interpretation made everything fit. The repeated encounters. The little attentions. The way he always seemed to know where she was.
⟨No, it was personal interest.⟩
Yurien's words came back to her. Echi shook her head before she could stop herself. The fever was fogging her thinking, she was drifting into the kind of imagination that belonged in a romance novel.
"Echinacea, are you listening?"
"Ah - yes? Sorry. What did you say?"
"Brad says he wants to apologize to you."
"…What?"
All thoughts of Yurien evaporated. Ian's voice remained pleasantly mild.
"After thinking it over, he decided he made several mistakes and wants to make it right. He asked me to arrange a meeting. Are you willing?"
"He wants to meet in person? To apologize? To me, Senior Brad?"
"Yes. If you don't want to accept it, you can decline. Just because he wants to apologize doesn't obligate you to receive it."
What was Brad up to? Echi turned it over. From everything she had seen of him in that single encounter, reflection and remorse were not in his character. The ranking competition hadn't even happened yet, so it wasn't a response to that.
And this was Ian Pelletro delivering the message. The whole thing smelled off.
"…When does he want to meet?"
"He was hoping for tonight, if possible..."
Ian stopped mid-sentence. He had noticed something. He turned and greeted quickly.
"Ar Sebatiem. Good evening, Commander."