Bloomed to Wither

Chapter 5

—–CROW—–

“Hmm, it seems the match has ended without anyone getting hurt.”

Simon said, clapping his hands.

“We called the healer for nothing. Shall we just consider it Perinem’s surrender?”

As Perinem reluctantly nodded, Simon turned his gaze to Kata.

“Catarina Donovan.”

“Yes?”

“This is worth investigating. Are you sure you haven’t had your Second Awakening?”

“Yes, I can only imbue objects with Aura.”

Simon raised an eyebrow.

“And you’ve never made a contract with a demon?”

“Excuse me? Of course not.”

As Kata looked bewildered, he laughed and patted her back.

“Haha, just kidding.  If you were a contractor using a demon’s power, your eyes and Aura would both be pitch black.  It’s just… I’ve never seen a First Awakened use this level of Aura before.”

Meanwhile, Leah was staring at Kata with a dazed expression.

“No way…”

This time, Perinem agreed. He frowned and brushed off his uniform. The back of his head still throbbed.

A varied tit, perched on the wall, chirped and flew away.

Morning was breaking.

***

“I heard today’s lunch menu is stew with turnips.  They said there’s also herb-roasted chicken.”

“…….”

“The snack is apple fritters with raisins.”

“…….”

“Perinem, do you like raisins?”

“Who cares? Get lost.”

On the way back to the dormitory.

Perinem felt like his stomach was churning because of Kata, who was chattering away familiarly.  He was frustrated because she didn’t seem to understand even when he showed his clear displeasure.

“I like raisins! Terion—he’s my younger brother!—really hates them, though. He says they have a disgusting texture and they’re all wrinkled and ugly-“

“Just shut up. I’m not interested.”

“Then will you tell me about yourself?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Should we just spar quietly next time?”

Perinem stopped, intending to curse her out.

Kata, who also stopped walking, smiled.

“Like I said before, you’re talented, so you’ll see results even with a little effort.”

Damn it. The moment he met her emerald eyes, he strangely lost his words.

“…You. You haven’t been very active socially, have you?”

“No. I didn’t have any close noblewomen friends.”

“I see. That’s why you’re so socially inept.”

“Haha.”

“…….”

After the seal was broken, Count Donovan rarely appeared in social circles.

Kata, perhaps conscious of the unfavorable gazes, seemed to have given up on her social debut early on and remained secluded.

It would have been quite a sight to see what she would have been like if she had entered society. Perinem coldly curled his lips.

She wouldn’t have understood sharp metaphors and would have been foolishly laughing, manipulated by tongues laced with hidden blades.

Imagining her being ostracized by other noblewomen of her age gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

Regardless, Kata was diligently expounding on her theory about desserts.  Something about raisins and chocolate.

Her head, turned entirely towards him, felt burdensome.

“…….”

She’s so clueless that she might somehow manage to fit in even while being constantly ignored.

She’d probably forget all about being showered with insults the next day.  She’d listen with sparkling eyes to the bragging of her peers, even when they were showing off.

And in the end, some would open their hearts to her guileless gaze, and she would become a member of the group…

“…….”

The closer he got to the end of his imagination, the more irritated he became. Perinem crumpled his handsome face.

The way back to the dormitory felt endlessly long.

***

Several days had passed since the duel.

Word began to spread among the knights that Kata had won the duel.

Unfortunately, however, the assessment of her didn’t change much.

“That half-wit?  Unless she used some kind of trick…”

“She must have gotten lucky.”

“Seeing how quiet she is after winning the duel, she must feel guilty about something.”

Prejudice was truly a frightening thing.

The knights believed more in the skills they had witnessed on the first day than in the victory they hadn’t seen.

And amidst all the rumors and gossip, Kata’s daily life remained the same.

She still went to her dawn training, ate with the indifferent Luna, and repeatedly acknowledged Xenon, who was twice as indifferent.

And one evening, as the sun was setting.

The trainee knights were paired up, swords clashing in the indoor training grounds.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaah!”

Kata turned her head.

Monia, who had entered as the second-ranked rookie, had shown exceptional skill throughout the training. Her red, curly hair danced every time she swung her sword.

“Haaaaaaaaap! Hiyaaaaaah! Iyaaaaaaaah!”

The problem was… she was rather loud.

When Luna, her sparring partner, dropped her sword after a powerful attack, the instructor, his eyes wide, strode towards them.

“Luna Arden, didn’t I tell you clearly! A First Awakened like you must never drop your sword, no matter what-“

“Aren’t you going to spar?”

Kata turned her head.

It was Xenon.  His face was dry, alone among the sweat-drenched knights.

He adjusted his grip on his sword and tilted his head.

“I’ll pass on the vomiting this time.”

Kata laughed awkwardly.

“Okay.”

His dark eyebrows twitched at her bland reply. Instead of taking a ready stance, Xenon stared intently at Kata.

“Xenon?”

After a silence, he began, “…Your performance in the first training session was atrocious.”

Kata, feeling a little wronged by the sudden harsh words, protested, “Why are you suddenly bringing that up…?”

“If you were confident about the duel with the prince, you should have suggested fighting in the afternoon when there would be a lot of spectators. It was a chance to redeem yourself for what happened on the first day.”

His voice was laced with inexplicable frustration.

“And if you won, you should have bragged about it.”

“…….”

“If you stay quiet, who’s going to recognize your skill?”

The sounds of shouts and clashing blades faded.

“Or are you keeping your mouth shut because you’re worried about putting the prince in a difficult position?”

“No, I-“

“Of course, you’re the kind of person who would do that.”

Kata realized only after looking at his face that his words weren’t meant as a compliment.

“Are you in any position to worry about someone else right now?”

“…….”

“I told you. Know your place.”

Their eyes met.

He turned his back and strode away.

Kata watched his retreating figure, dumbfounded.

***

The next day at lunch, after finishing her meal, Kata stopped by a nearby training ground.

Two rookies were sparring in the quiet training grounds.

The larger one was overwhelmingly dominating the fight.

“Aren’t you going to counterattack? Counterattack!”

The opponent, clearly intimidated, was repeatedly being hit on the shoulder with a wooden sword.

Was this a consensual spar?

Kata stopped picking a sword from the rack and stared at them. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed closer to one-sided violence.

“Ugh!”

As the opponent dropped his sword and clutched his left side, groaning, the larger one laughed and kicked him down.

“Does it hurt, Peter?”

“No… no.”

“That’s right. This is how you’re supposed to spar properly. Get up.”

As the larger one tried to pull him up by the arm, fear flickered in Peter’s eyes.

“I-, I lost, Jealous.”

“Hah, what are you talking about?  A knight should have the guts to fight until they’re almost dead.  You can go to the infirmary afterward.”

Peter reluctantly resumed his stance as Jealous forced a sword into his hand.  His eyes, like grapes about to burst, were striking.

Jealous swung his sword, this time aiming for his right side.

However, the sparring didn’t resume.

He frowned and turned his head.

“…Catarina Donovan?”

—–CROW—–

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