naaapseattle Chapter 203
Chapter 203
Chapter 203
【 Side Story. The Head’s Escort Knight 】
“Ugh, wait a sec. So according to Muktaba administrative law, in the case of the law regarding lava usage...”
A few weeks after Lisa and Gideon’s engagement ceremony.
Sara was reading law books late into the night inside the Lysquare Academy Library.
“Wait, why does it go like this? This precedent clearly…”
It was during the middle of the winter break.
That was why Sara was the only one in the library.
She sat alone, relying on candlelight in the dim library, diligently reading through the books.
However, they were far too difficult for her to fully understand on her own.
“Uh… Article 2, Clause 7 of the Lava Usage Law? What was that again?”
Sara paused for a moment, then messed up her already tangled hair even more.
“Ugh, seriously. Why does Muktaba have so many laws? Am I really supposed to know all of this? Seriously?”
She slammed the thick book shut and slumped over it.
Though it wasn’t officially announced yet, Sara was practically confirmed as the next Head of the Isrinbloom Family.
In other words, she was set to become a duchess in a few years.
Feeling heavily burdened by that fact, she studied hard—something she normally didn’t do.
Instead of returning to Muktaba during the break, she stayed behind at the academy, studying alone late into the night.
But for someone who was never close to studying, doing it all alone wasn’t easy.
“Ugh… I never wanted to be Head… How did things end up like this?”
Sara muttered weakly as she lay slumped over the desk.
“I just want to live without thinking. Without worrying… just hanging out… spending time with Jason…”
There was no one else in the library anyway.
So Sara spoke freely, murmuring her true feelings without restraint.
“…Jason, I suddenly miss him. If I could just see his face right now…”
“Did you miss me that much?”
“…Huh?”
“Then you should’ve said so. Hah, it’s hard being this popular.”
“…Kyaaaahhh?!”
Sara screamed and swung her fist at the green-haired boy who had suddenly appeared.
Of course, the boy dodged her punch with ease.
“Geez, what kind of weird scream was that? You scared me more than I scared you.”
“Y-you! Why are you here?!”
“I’m a student of Lysquare Academy too, so I can be here. But keep your voice down—it’s still a library.”
“There’s no one else in this library right now! And it’s the break! Why are you even here? Didn’t you go home?”
“Staying home was just too boring.”
Jason smirked and sat down next to Sara.
“I was looking for something fun to do when I heard you were still studying hard here at the academy, so I came to see you.”
“…That’s really all? You came all the way to school during break just to tease me?”
“Well… that’s not all. There’s another reason, but… I’ll tell you later.”
“What reason? Just tell me now—”
“And Article 2, Clause 7 of the Lava Usage Law. If the Isrinbloom Family deems that the quality of lava needs improvement, they may, through a subordinate organization, strengthen and determine the targets and methods of management. It’s not super important, but since it comes up often, you should memorize it.”
At Jason’s words, Sara stared at him in disbelief.
“…Why do you even know Muktaba’s administrative law?”
“I just happen to know a lot of things.”
“No, you’re the type who knows a lot about a lot of things shallowly. This isn’t that kind of thing.”
“Heh, if you live in the Hawkbat Family long enough, there are things you learn whether you want to or not. That’s just how it is. Anyway—”
Jason leaned in close to Sara’s face.
Startled, she flinched and pulled back slightly, but Jason didn’t stop as he looked her over.
“Hey, the dark circles under your eyes are awful. They’re bloodshot, too. You look exhausted… Have you been eating? Sleeping?”
“I’ve been eating… kind of. Sleeping… not much.”
Sara sighed deeply.
“Even when I do fall asleep, I can’t stay asleep for long. I’m anxious. Just thinking about becoming Head makes me so nervous that I keep waking up.”
“…You’re that anxious?”
“Yeah. Right now, the Isrinbloom Family is going through the most dangerous time in its history. We’ve been branded as the family that started a rebellion, and we have to somehow recover from that. Father’s managing things for now, but… you know the situation, right?”
“…That there are lots of people who want Lord Dilug to step down soon? Yeah, I know.”
“Right. And Father agrees with that sentiment. He thinks he must take responsibility as the Head for failing to stop a rebellion caused by a family member. So probably… once I graduate from the academy, I’ll become the new Head.”
Sara slumped back over her desk and sighed again.
Seeing that, Jason gently patted her head and brushed her tangled hair smooth.
“Yeah. That’s a lot to bear. Is that why you’re studying like this?”
“I have to. I must. I heard the successor training begins in earnest this year… so I have to prepare as much as I can before then. Leading the current Isrinbloom Family isn’t something you can do half-heartedly. I… I have to rebuild our family, no matter what.”
The more she spoke, the shakier her voice became.
After Rage’s rebellion, Jason could easily imagine how conflicted she must’ve been.
“The Isrinbloom Family is under heavy pressure from the outside, and chaos from within. Because of what Rage oppa did, the internal factions are in conflict. Father’s trying to resolve it as best as he can, but… I doubt he’ll be able to fix everything.”
Dilug had told Sara that everything would be fine.
That by the time she became Head, the internal conflicts would surely be resolved.
But Sara knew better.
On the surface, things seemed to be improving—but the shadow Rage left behind was too great.
It wasn’t something that would disappear in just a few years.
“That’s why I have to do it. I have to… by myself. The family won’t really be able to help me. There aren’t many who support me… so I’ll have to handle everything alone.”
“…Alone?”
“Yeah, alone. Look around. There’s no one to help me. Isn’t that obvious?”
“…Wow, your self-esteem’s really shattered, huh.”
“…Huh?”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
Jason let out a small sigh, then smiled faintly as he stood up.
“I was just planning to drop off a little gift and leave, but I’ll have to change plans.”
“…What?”
“Come on, let’s go have some fun. You need a change of pace.”
With that, Jason grabbed Sara’s hand and pulled her up from her seat.
“Come with me.”
“W-wait?! Where are we going?!”
“If I told you in advance, it wouldn’t be any fun. Now then, Monsoon, lend me your strength.”
—Sure, do as you please.
A half-resigned voice of the spirit echoed, and soon, a breeze began to swirl around Jason.
Using that wind, Jason opened a nearby window— and jumped out with Sara in tow.
“W-wait?! H-hey, this is the seventh floor! What are you trying to do?!”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you caught on?”
“What do you— Aaaahhh?!”
Jason grabbed Sara and leapt straight out the window.
But the two of them didn’t fall.
The strong wind around them caught their bodies and lifted them higher instead.
“…Since when could you fly?”
Still in Jason’s arms, Sara looked up at him in disbelief.
Jason tightened his hold on her to make sure she wouldn’t fall.
“Not long. I only mastered it completely a few weeks ago.”
“So you weren’t just slacking off during the break.”
“Well, our family’s pretty merit-based… I’ve got to earn my keep somehow.”
With those words, Jason stirred the air even stronger.
The two rode the wind up toward the tallest building in Lysquare Academy and landed neatly on top of the spire’s rooftop.
“Phew, flying while carrying someone is tougher than I thought. I’ll need more practice.”
“You seemed fine to me. But seriously, why did you suddenly bring me up here…”
“I brought you so you could get some fresh air.”
Jason sat on the spire’s ledge and pulled Sara to sit beside him.
“The night view from here is amazing. You can see the whole Academy, Daigon Village over there… and even Lysquare in the distance. Looks beautiful from up here, doesn’t it?”
“Y-yeah… it really is pretty.”
Sara sat next to Jason, gazing at the scenery with him.
Just as he’d said, the view before her eyes was stunning.
“Sometimes you need to do this—get out and breathe a little. When your head’s too full or you’re feeling anxious, clearing your mind like this helps.”
“…You’re right. The cold air’s making my head feel a bit clearer.”
“Good. Don’t overthink things too much. Complicated thoughts don’t suit you. You’re at your best when you just keep things simple.”
“…Are you teasing me?”
“Yup.”
“You little—”
Sara reached out toward him, but Jason only laughed and dodged her hand.
No—he caught it instead.
Her right hand, the one wrapped in bandages.
“Could you unwrap that for a moment?”
“…The bandages? Why?”
“I’ve got a gift for you.”
“Uh… okay.”
Sara slowly began to unwind the bandages from her right arm.
As she did, the burn scars covering her skin were exposed.
“…Gross, right?”
“Not really. I’ve seen worse. But yeah, it’s a pretty bad wound. You should heal it soon.”
“Even the other races said they couldn’t heal it. So I just gave up…”
“No. I’m not giving up on you, Sara.”
With those words, Jason pulled out a bandage from his pocket.
It was red— and he carefully began wrapping it around her right arm.
“Huh? W-what’s this?”
“It’s called the Feather of Life Bandage. It’s made from the feathers of a phoenix, woven into bandage form and soaked in the Phoenix’s Tear. It’s said to heal any wound.”
“I’ve… heard of that. I heard there are people in the Empire who can make them, but… they’re insanely expensive…”
“I spent all my savings and even took out a loan from the Imperial Bank to buy it. So, I’ll be living poor for the next few years.”
“What? You borrowed money to buy this? Why would you—”
“Forget it. Don’t worry about it.”
After finishing wrapping the bandage around her arm, Jason smiled at her.
“For you, this is cheap. Of course, even this might not heal you completely. If it doesn’t… then there’s probably no other way. But this time—I can feel it. This one will work. I’m sure it’ll heal your arm.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I believe it will. So someday, you’ll be able to hold a sword again.”
Jason clasped Sara’s hand—now wrapped in the red bandage—and smiled brightly.
Then, for a moment, he fell silent, looking up at the star-filled sky.
“……”
As though organizing his thoughts, he didn’t speak for a while.
Then, with determined eyes, he finally said,
“When you become Head someday… you’ll need an escort knight, won’t you?”
“Huh? Well… I guess so?”
“Then, can I be that escort?”
“…What?”
Sara looked at him, wide-eyed.
“You… as my escort? But you were planning to become an informant for the Hawkbat Family after graduation, weren’t you?”
“I was. But after hearing you say all that about being alone, with no one on your side… it kind of fired me up.”
“Fired you up?”
“Yeah. I want to prove something to you—that there’s someone who’ll always be on your side. Someone who’ll always stand in front of you. So… Lady Isrinbloom.”
Jason knelt down on one knee and looked up at her.
Sara’s eyes widened in shock, but Jason continued with his usual mischievous grin.
“I will always fight for you. I’m ready to do anything for your sake. If you’ll accept me as your escort, I’ll stay by your side until the very end.”
“H-hey… you… uh…”
“What? Surprised? I just wanted to set the mood a little.”
Jason chuckled and stood back up.
But Sara still looked flustered.
“If you’re going to be my escort, then you’d have to come to Muktaba too…”
“Yeah. I’d probably live there after graduation. Anyway, the important thing is—what I just said isn’t a joke. I meant every word. So remember this: you’re never alone. Even if the whole world turns its back on you, I promise I’ll always be on your side.”
“……”
Sara silently looked at him.
He was smiling with that same mischievous expression he always had.
But Sara knew.
No—she felt it.
Her friend was speaking more sincerely than ever before.
“I… I…”
“Yeah. You mean you’d like me as your escort too, right? I might not be the strongest fighter, but I’m confident I can protect you.”
“N-no, that’s not… I mean, it’s good but…”
Suddenly, Sara could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
She didn’t know why her heart was racing like that— or why she suddenly couldn’t meet Jason’s eyes.
Panicking, she stood up and stepped back from him—
“Whoa?!”
—and missed her footing.
She nearly fell from the spire’s edge, but Jason moved instantly.
He caught her and pulled her safely into his arms.
“Hey, hey. Be careful. If you die five minutes after I swear to be your escort, what kind of knight would that make me?”
“Y-yeah… I-I guess…”
“Heh. So? Are you accepting me?”
“Uh… well… I mean…”
Still in Jason’s arms, Sara could feel her heart pounding even faster than before.
And before long, she quickly realized why.