Bloomed to Wither

Chapter 3

—–CROW—–

“…My name is Perinem Alcazar. I’ve heard about you before, it’s fascinating to actually meet you.”

“Oh, I see!”

Despite the prince’s off-putting attitude, Kata’s hands were still busy.

Perinem watched her tear into the dense bread, then laughed contemptuously.

“So, how was the training Sir Soram is guiding you through?”

“Hmm.”

Kata took a spoonful of stew and said,

“It was alright.  It was training where I ran a hundred laps around the training grounds. Building up basic stamina like this is necessary when facing monsters…”

“Were you lacking in basic stamina ‘back then’?”

Kata’s spoon momentarily stopped. Stew dripped from the spoon, which had been heading straight for her mouth, plopping back into the bowl.

Luna inwardly marveled at the 7th Prince’s childishness.

There was no way anyone could misunderstand what ‘back then’ referred to.

The day the seal was broken, and the young hero became a coward.

Perhaps Kata was used to this kind of provocation.

“Yeah, that’s right! I was very lacking back then.”

Perhaps she was used to it… perhaps.

“You could tell just by seeing you throw up during the sparring, right?  You’re a mess, haha.”

“…….”

“I also saw you training yesterday, and your leg strength seems a little lacking. Your grip was excellent, so it would be good if you just built up your lower body muscles. Let’s work hard together!”

Perinem’s facial muscles twitched.

The dining hall had become as quiet as a mouse.

However, Kata was busy checking if there were any more ingredients left in her stew.

It wasn’t that she was trying to avoid the uncomfortable situation.  It seemed that for Kata, whether there were any undercooked potatoes or soggy onions left in the stew was more important than the conversation with Perinem.

“Semasiar… does not forgive the weak,” Perinem continued forcefully. Anger flashed across his handsome face.

“I’m not just talking about physical weakness.  I’m talking about the weakness of heart, the inability to fight when one should.”

It was a tone close to reprimanding an inferior.

The habits of nearly twenty years of living as royalty don’t just disappear. Luna wanted to finish her meal quickly and leave.

“Catarina Donovan. Back then, you fainted at the mere sight of a monster.  It was the same yesterday.  You got scared during the sparring and threw up pathetically. Do you even have the qualifications to be a knight?”

At his words, which unhesitatingly poked at her sore spot, Kata stopped eating.

By now, many of the trainee knights in the dining hall were listening intently.

Luna realized that most of the knights agreed with Perinem.

Being afraid was a disgrace for a knight.  Fear was the weakest emotion.

It went without saying that being afraid of a monster that should be slain was even worse.

“Perinem, I took the official entrance exam for the Arcane Knights Order and passed.”

However, Kata was surprisingly calm.  Judging by her bright eyes, she didn’t seem discouraged at all.

“You, who aren’t even the Commander, can’t talk about knightly qualifications.”

She added,

“More than anything, before you worry about my qualifications, why don’t you work on your leg strength?  I don’t think Semasiar would want flimsy lower body strength any more than he’d want a weak person!”

Perinem’s face turned icy.

Luna was impressed by her actively antagonizing royalty, but Kata, seemingly unconcerned, got up from her seat, having finished her meal.

That’s when it happened.

Perinem suddenly threw off his white glove. The thin glove slapped Kata’s cheek and fell.

“…….”

Kata, looking dumbfounded, caught the falling glove.

“Then give me your guidance directly.”

“What? Why would that-“

“A duel.”

Kata’s expression was bewildered.

The dining hall filled with murmurs.

A duel already, after only a few days since joining!  Everyone pretended not to, but glanced over at them, excited by the interesting development.

A duel was a card played when one felt their honor threatened.  Refusing it was unavoidable grounds for being branded a coward.

However, as Luna saw it, refusing was the right thing to do this time.

Perinem showed exceptional skill among First Awakened knights. Moreover, someone with such a strong backing wouldn’t be considerate of his opponent’s circumstances.

Of course, since the duel would be held with a healer and witnesses present, nothing tragic would happen, but there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be any lasting effects…

“Uh, um. Okay!”

Guarantee…

Luna really craved a cigarette.

***

The next morning, after finishing her swimming training, Kata headed towards the dormitory.  Water dripped steadily from her clinging clothes with each step.

The duel with Perinem was finally set for the following dawn.

Leah, Soram’s squire, had said she would be excused from training that day.

“Sir Simon and I will be the witnesses for the duel. A duel after only a few days since joining… it seems you’re disliked all around.”

The weather was still chilly, and she felt a shiver.  She wrung out her collar tightly, and water dripped down.

Then, a faint shadow fell over her head.

Kata’s face brightened as she looked up.

“Hi!”

Despite her cheerful greeting, Xenon didn’t respond. Instead, he carelessly scanned her appearance.

“You, when’s your duel?”

It was a question without preamble.

“Huh?  Tomorrow at dawn.  They said I’m excused from training that day.”

Xenon stared at Kata intently, then asked as if spitting out the words, “Why do you keep causing trouble?”

“Huh?”

“The training, the duel… you could have avoided all of it if you wanted to. You could have groveled to the seniors and ignored what the prince said.”

“I didn’t want to.”

Xenon’s facial muscles twitched.

“You’re still as reckless as ever.  Just how long do you think you can keep doing things your own way?”

“…….”

“You’re no hero, or anything of the sort anymore. Don’t delude yourself into thinking people will be kind to you. Know your place.”

His tone was as cold as when they first met.

He had grown taller and achieved his Second Awakening, but Xenon’s gaze as he looked down at Kata wasn’t much different from back then.

Kata stared intently at his shadowed face in the backlight.

“Yeah, thanks for your concern.”

“It’s not concern-“

“During the sparring, I felt how much your skills have improved. You finally achieved your goal.”

“…….”

“Your goal was to join the Arcane Knights Order as the top rookie, wasn’t it? I’m… I’m glad to see you again.”

She glanced at Xenon’s expression.

“I’m glad.  That’s how I feel.”

Water dripped from the ends of her soaked hair.  The scattered paving stones on the grass gradually became wet.

Having said what she wanted to say, Kata felt much relieved.

She had finished her morning swim refreshingly, Xenon had initiated the conversation, and she had expressed her feelings.

It was a good start to the day, all things considered!

A brief silence fell.

There was no noticeable change in Xenon’s expression.  He stared at Kata for a long time, as if looking at something incomprehensible.

“Donovan.”

His tone was sharp.

“Really, you haven’t changed at all.”

“Haha, you’re similar to how you used to be, too.”

“…You’ll probably go through a lot of hardship in the future, but since you seem to be fine with even that, do as you please. Throwing up in the prince’s face will be quite a sight.”

Judging by his blatant sarcasm, he seemed quite irritated.

“See you at training later!”

She shouted at his turning back, but Xenon didn’t react. His angular back soon disappeared into the shadow of the building.

—–CROW—–

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