Chapter 26


    Thunk.


    <i>Thooong!</i>


    Just as I had expected, the Empire did not send any additional reinforcements.


    No matter how vast the Empire’s poption may be, they wouldn’t want to see their carefully trained knight squads being ground down. That much was certain.


    After all, knights don’t sprout from the ground just by nting seeds and watering them, do they? It’s no surprise they’re not so eager to waste them.


    As for killing me… What would they gain? A morale boost, maybe? Butpared to the risks, the reward seems minimal, don’t you think?


    <i>Swiiish!</i>


    <i>Thunk.</i>


    Perhaps, as I previously spected, those sent before were merely pawns ensnared in a cunning scheme devised by that snake.Now that they’ve been purged by my hand, there’s no reason for them to waste any more of their precious forces.


    Whatever the case, the Empire, and that snake in particr, seem reluctant to cross paths with me.


    Not that I me them. Even if I am a master swordsman, I have no faction or backing. What would they possibly gain from provoking me?


    In that sense, it’s logical—almost reasonable—for that snake to want to set aside any grudges and try to recruit me into the Empire.


    Of course, just because it’s logical doesn’t mean it’s likely.


    <i>Thooooong!</i>


    “….”


    “…”


    “…”


    I reached for the sword I had ced beside me.


    It was the sessor to the flyswatter I had bought during myst trip down to the vige.


    When the Imperial soldiers invaded, I had forgotten to bring it with me, so I hadn’t been able to use it. But now, it seemed I finally had a chance.


    Ah, that cool, weighty sensation in my hand…


    <i>Thunk!</i>


    The heavy thudding sound rang out again, as if something was being repeatedly struck.


    What do you call this?


    Noise between floors? But there aren’t any floors here. Let’s just call it noise.


    “K-Kana…”


    Just as I was about to go eliminate the source of the noise, someone grabbed onto my arm.


    “…Let go.”


    The hand belonged to Joanie, who had practically made this mountain her second home.


    Every morning, Joanie would climb up the mountain to find me.


    After having a light breakfast from the food she brought, she would either practice her swordsmanship or study Granic until just before noon.


    After we had lunch together, we spent the rest of the day in the same manner, descending from the mountain just before the sun fully set.


    And then, the next day, we repeated the routine.


    Joanie, who had brought a book written in Granik—where she even found it, I didn’t know—was slowly reading through it, holding my hand tightly.


    “I’ll say it,” she whispered.


    Her Granik had improved dramatically from the stuttering she started with just a few weeks ago, diligently asking me for help whenever she stumbled upon unfamiliar words while reading the book. Now, her skills had progressed beyond recognition.


    Though she still had a slight awkwardness in her speech, she could now form sentences instead of just uttering individual words. Her pronunciation had also be much smoother.


    “…”


    But that wasn’t the only change in our daily lives or in Joanie herself.


    Every day she visited, she had initially seemed afraid of me, unable to approach easily. However, since the day the Imperial Army had invaded, she’d drastically reduced the distance between us.


    She started patting my head out of nowhere, speaking to me in a more familiar tone, and now, like this moment, she was holding my hand as if it were the most natural thing to do.


    If this had been before, such actions would’ve been unimaginable.


    At first, I was flustered and missed the chance to pull away. Now, it felt too awkward to push her away, especially when she brought me food daily. I’d feel guilty for treating her coldly when she clearly meant no harm, so I’d half-given up on resisting and just let it happen.


    Surely, she didn’t think of me as just a child. Well, in this world’s terms, I wasn’t technically an adult, but still…


    “Well, aren’t you nice?”


    “…”


    Her gentle touch guided me back to my seat, where I sat down without resistance. Joanie stood up, pacing over to the barrier with slow steps.


    “Yuki… our Canaria is really upset. No, wait, that’s not what I meant.”


    Joanie nced back at me before continuing.


    “Aren’t you tired of doing that?”


    — “Training is supposed to be tiring.”


    “Just hitting the barrier all day doesn’t count as training. Besides, I barely managed to stop Canaria from bringing her sword over today, so please stop. And don’t act like you’re enjoying this!”


    — “…Tsk.”


    Yuki, the girl Joanie had been speaking with in Arkish earlier, grudgingly sheathed her massive sword, having given up on her efforts. How she thought she could break the barrier ced by a Master Mage without even properly controlling mana was beyond me.


    Of course, Yuki had no way of knowing that. Still, shouldn’t she have given up after realizing it wasn’t working?


    She’d been banging on that barrier for about a week now since we first met about ten days ago.


    Back then, she hadn’t been like this.


    Well, that’s because I’d let her inside the barrier back then, so she hadn’t needed to try breaking it.


    But once I let her into the barrier, she kept bothering me by shoving her greatsword in my face, regardless of time or ce.


    I can humor someone once or twice, but she kepting at me, even after being knocked down several times, to the point where I had no choice but to kill her and kick her out.


    After that, I refused to open the barrier again, and she started swinging her greatsword, iming she’d break it down.


    …What in the world was going through her mind?


    Can you really call someone sane when they confidently dere they’ll break down the door in front of the homeowner?


    “Why don’t you change your approach, Yuki?”


    — “…Approach?”


    “Like offering food, for example. Oh, and it’s not kidnapping! It’s just a friendly gesture, okay?”


    — “If I give her food, will she fight me?”


    “Unless Canaria kidnaps me, there’s no way someone like me could kidnap her! What? Sorry, what did you say? Uh… I’m not sure. Since Canaria is so stoic, I can’t guarantee anything, but it’s got to be better than how things are now, right?”


    — “Hmm…”


    While watching them talk, Yuki turned her head toward me, and our eyes met.


    We stared at each other for a moment before quickly looking away.


    — “…What do kids like?”


    “Well, it depends on the kid, but usually toys, dolls… and they love snacks too.”


    — “Toys, dolls, snacks…”


    “Oh, since Canaria seems to enjoy gardening, it might be a good idea to bring her gardening tools or flowers.”


    — “Gardening tools, flowers… Thanks.”


    “If you’re grateful, could you stop knocking on the barrier? It’s getting kind of loud, honestly…”


    It felt like the conversation was wrapping up, but why did I still feel like the root of the problem wasn’t resolved?


    I tilted my head in confusion.


    —


    —


    —


    Another morning, just like any other.


    As I opened the barrier to let Joanie inside, Yuki, who had followed closely behind, tried to slip in.


    Suddenly.


    — “Here, it’s a bribe.”


    Yuki abruptly extended her hand, offering something.


    “…?”


    A ck… box?


    What she held out was a small box, adorned with a tiny red ribbon.


    As I eyed it cautiously, Yuki waved her hand as if to say, “Aren’t you going to take it?”


    — “…It’s a gift.”


    Joanie, who had been watching us, exined to me.


    “It’s a gift of apology. She’s sorry for bothering you.”


    “That can’t be true.”


    Even after hearing the exnation, I still couldn’t believe it.


    The Yuki I knew would swing a great sword until the end, even if a knife were thrust into her neck; she wasn’t the kind of chick who would calmly apologize like a well-behaved chick.


    As I squinted and red, Joanie subtly averted her gaze.


    Something feels off…


    Since it doesn’t seem like there’s any hostility, maybe I should just see what it is.


    <i>ck.</i>


    “…!”


    The moment I opened the lid, a strong, sweet scent assaulted my nose.


    With such an intense sweetness, I thought it might escape through the gaps, but somehow, it had been sessfully sealed inside the lid. I couldn’t help but swallow my saliva at the enticing aroma.


    “It’s chocte. Want to try some?”


    “Uh, uh… no….”


    The glossy ck color was captivating and wouldn’t let go of my gaze.


    It must taste good.


    With a smell like this, there’s no way it could be bad.


    But if I eat this…


    I nced at Yuki.


    — “What’s wrong? This is delicious.”


    I know that…


    As I stared at the chocte, Joanie picked it up without responding to my silence.


    My gaze followed her hand.


    “Ah~”


    “…”


    …She’s really treating me like a child.


    Just as I was about to fume, a sudden burst of sweetness filled my mouth.


    “…!”


    “Good job.”


    …Ah, I unconsciously epted it…!


    But I couldn’t regret it; the chocte Yuki brought was too sweet.


    …It was too delicious…


    Although it was incredibly sweet, it wrapped around my tongue without being sticky, a taste worthy of being called the ultimate delicacy.


    As I closed my eyes and savored the soft sweetness, the chocte that entered my mouth melted away in an instant.


    “Ah….”


    With a sigh of disappointment lingering from the intense sweetness, Joanie chuckled softly.


    “I have one more.”


    At that moment, Yuki pulled out another box from somewhere.


    It was exactly the same as the previous one.


    I nodded my head.


    “…Come in.”


    I absolutely detested being bothered, but if it was a guest, it was a different story. They had shown sincerity, so I’d let it slide.


    …It’s definitely not because I was swayed by the chocte.


    Definitely not.


    ***


    “It’s easy.”


    — “It is easy.”


    Seeing Kana, who had hugged the chocte box and was skipping inside, brought a smile to Joanie’s face. Yet, at the same time, a hint of disappointment lingered.


    “If I had known it would be like this, I should have brought this from the start.”


    Would they have be friends faster that way? I couldn’t help but think about it.


    ‘The things I brought were tasty enough… but perhaps they didn’t suit her childish pte.’


    That being said, it was also strange that she reacted to spicy food.


    Shaking her head in confusion, Joanie reminded herself that at least she saw Kana looking happy.


    Although she didn’t smile, just seeing Kana’s stiff face soften a bit felt like a big achievement.


    Even though the high-end chocte was quite expensive, it didn’t matter since it was Yuki who spent the money, so Joanie enjoyed the happiness without any burden.


    In the end, Yuki got what she wanted too.


    “This is what they call a win-win.”


    — “…Win-win?”


    Yuki nced at Joanie, who suddenly spoke an out-of-the-blue phrase, then shrugged and entered the open barrier.


    “Ah, Kana, wait a moment…! I haven’t gone in yet!”


    Following the two ahead of her, Joanie jumped into the barrier, and the unsteady barrier closedpletely.


    It was a bit different from usual, but it was still a rather peaceful morning.