That night she had a long dream.
〈You wouldn't have wanted to do this.〉
Whispered in a voice that was never loud, never more than quiet. Yurien pressed down on her throat with RanGiosa and pinned her to the ground. The very words she had screamed inside, over and over, for every person she had cut down, for every one who had wailed or cursed before her.
'I didn't want to do this either.'
In that moment, he turned the scream she had never been able to voice into words. From that moment, he became a mark on her that could not be erased.
〈She's fighting.〉
〈Against the cursed sword. Against her own will.〉
〈I will give her a chance.〉
He had seen what no one else could see, that she was still resisting, that she hadn't given up, and he had given her a chance. A chance that could only be a loss for him.
Beyond iron bars, piercing blue eyes watched her. She had killed everyone who had mattered to her with her own hands, had lost everyone who might have waited. And he, he waited.
Through sunrises and sunsets, through the changing of seasons, even though her condition never changed, he kept coming to see her. To the demon who had left a trail of massacres, whom no one visited, whose guards simply slid a food tray through the double doors and left, he came.
Half a year in chains inside a narrow underground cell. He was the only one who came. The only one who waited and hoped for her to win.
No one else. She held on, thinking of him. She gathered the words she wanted to say when she finally overcame the cursed sword and could face him again.
'Why did you give me a chance?'
'Thank you.'
'Thank you for waiting. Thank you for watching over me.'
'I wanted to prove to you that your choice was right.'
'I will win no matter what, so please don't leave. Keep watching. There's no one else.'
'Because of you, I was able to win.'
'My name is Echinacea Roaz. My hair is black now, but it was originally pink, the color of the echinacea flower, which is why my parents named me that. I know your name, Yurien. I wanted to say it aloud.'
'Do you know how much I wanted to smile at you with my own body, of my own will?'
'I want to show you my real face. Not a howling beast. That's not who I am. Look! This is me. What do you think? I hope I look beautiful to you.'
'I want to see you. Do you want to see me too? Is that why you're waiting?'
Those words were what she used to keep going. She endured, imagining the day she could say them. Through all the loneliness, the pain, the emptiness.
And in that time, the mark he had left began to transform into something else. It took root. It sprouted. It ripened.
The flower had already bloomed, even then.
Echinacea's illness lasted one more day before lifting completely. The next day happened to be the first club meeting of Wisdom.
There had been no further news about Yurien's engagement. The Commander remained silent, and Lady Diassant had quietly taken up residence in a VIP suite at the Order's headquarters. Only rumors of the possible engagement spread through Azenka.
Echi headed to the Sixth Training Ground for the Wisdom club meeting, Alice walking beside her. Alice glanced at her with faint concern.
The light sky-blue dress with white lace looked bright and cheerful. The expression on Echi's face was troubled and dim.
"Echi."
"..."
"Echi?"
"Ah... yes? Did you say something?"
"Do you still have a fever?"
"No. You know I'm recovered."
"You've been distracted all yesterday and today."
Since Nicole Sijuten's visit, to be precise. Alice observed her closely. Echi smiled and shook her head.
"It's nothing. I just have something on my mind."
"What is it? Can I help?"
"Thank you, but I'm fine. It's a mix of personal feelings and family matters."
It was, technically, a rather large-scale family matter and a rather complicated feeling. Not a lie. Alice seemed curious but wasn't the type to pry into someone else's family affairs. She nodded simply.
"Sometimes just saying things out loud to someone helps. If you ever want that, let me know."
A direct gaze. A straightforward tone. Echi looked up at Alice walking beside her. Something restless inside her settled, just slightly, like the warmth of a bowl of soup. She remembered Nicole asking if they were friends.
On impulse, she linked her arm through Alice's.
"Echi? All of a sudden"
"Just because. Do you not like it?"
"…No."
"Let's hurry. Senior Fatima is probably already waiting."
Arm in arm, they arrived at the Sixth Training Ground, a medium-sized clearing ringed by tall evergreen trees, with benches set beneath them.
The benches were packed with cadets. Those who couldn't find seats sat on the grass or leaned against the trees. Some had brought mats.
"Oh, she's here."
"She really joined Fatima's club."
"It's the Lady."
"She came with the second-ranked girl."
"Aren't they roommates?"
As Echi and Alice approached, a murmur swept through the gathered crowd.
"She survived the node"
"Probably just luck. Baraha must have done everything"
"Did you see her at the freshman rankings? She's extraordinary."
"She took down a monster during the hunt too"
"Geniuses are always a bit eccentric."
Whispers followed. Her sharp hearing caught all of it, which was embarrassing. There were envious remarks too, but the nastier rumors had thinned considerably since she proved her skills.
"Welcome, Alice, Echi!"
Fatima, who had arrived ahead of them, greeted them brightly. Alice lowered her voice.
"Senior, why are so many people here?"
"Well... some are just watching, but look at that."
Fatima gave an awkward smile and pointed to one side. A thick pile of papers sat on one of the benches, club enrollment applications. Alice looked startled.
"Are those all membership applications?"
"Yes. After word got out that you two joined, interest in the club apparently skyrocketed. We can't accept everyone, which is why I need your help."
Fatima shrugged with a grin.
"Before we start sparring, let's talk about how to select new members!"
Just as Echi and Alice were about to respond, a rough voice cut through.
"Move aside!" A group of cadets shouldered their way toward the training ground. Their loud entrance drew immediate attention.
Four or five large cadets pushed through the crowd. Echi recognized the one at the front, Brad, the cadet who had once said things she hadn't cared to remember.
He strode directly toward them, but his glare landed on Fatima rather than Echi.
"Fatima."
"What brings you here, Senior Brad?"
"I heard an unpleasant rumor. Is it true that you've been pulling members away from other clubs to join yours?"
"No?"
Fatima blinked her dark eyes, genuinely puzzled. Brad scoffed and grabbed the stack of applications from the bench. Fatima frowned.
"Senior, looking at another club's applications is.."
"Shut up."
He flipped through roughly and shoved the stack at Fatima's face, waving it.
"Look at this. Just look. You're going to stand there and pretend you don't see these names? Women are all the same, thinking they can get away with tricks if they just act innocent. How stupid."
As he spoke, his eyes flicked briefly toward Echi before returning to Fatima. Echi barely held back the urge to smirk.
Come to think of it, he had said something similar to her before, dismissing her as someone hiding behind dresses, pretending to be unaware of what she was doing.
'The world does judge everything by its own frame. You really only see what you already believe.'
Fatima looked at the application being pushed in her face, checked the name, and looked up.
"I'm not sure who you're referring to, Senior."
"Right here! Cadet Michael von Franz Almari. Michael was supposed to join Noblesse, so why is his application here? Why did you steal a recruit that belonged to another club?"
Brad jabbed the paper. Fatima tilted her head with a puzzled look.
"Cadet Michael isn't affiliated with any club at present. He submitted this application himself. Is there a problem with that?"
"Plenty of problems! Do you really not understand how things work?"
"I genuinely don't."
Standing before Brad, who looked ready to act on his anger, Fatima, smaller even than Echi, tilted her head like a curious child. Brad exhaled dramatically, glancing around as if looking for witnesses to his exasperation.
"Fatima Toya. There are courtesies that must be observed between clubs."
"And which courtesy did I violate?"
"I just said it! Do you not understand how rude it is to accept an application from someone who was going to join another club?"
"Did Cadet Michael submit an application to Noblesse? Or at least give a verbal commitment?"
Brad opened his mouth and then didn't close it for a moment. The answer to both was no. Noblesse had simply decided on their own that Michael, the younger brother of a Giosa owner, would join them. With no answer available, his face cycled through red, then a deeper shade.
"…Who do you think you are, questioning your senior?"
"A cadet is free to apply to any club they choose. And even if they're already in a club, they're free to leave."
"Hah. This is exactly why they shouldn't have let a barbarian girl start a club. You just don't understand basic decency."
Brad muttered bitterly, and his club members laughed.
Fatima Toya, with her tanned skin, small frame, and braided hair, was from the western nomadic tribes.
Unlike the continent's structured nations, the nomads lived in clan-based communities and roamed the plains in a loose federation. Because of this, they drew rude and prejudiced remarks, uncivilized, savage, unworthy.
Echi's expression hardened immediately. But before either she or Fatima could speak, a voice cut through the gathering.
"Apologize."