ILSCA 14

Chapter 14.

Before I knew it, it was morning.
Which means, I had stayed up all night trying to find a way to clean the pendant.

“I’m tired.”

I closed the window and flopped down onto the bed.
I thought I’d quickly find a way to clean the pendant…
But I hadn’t succeeded despite trying every method. Even when I confined it in a sealed space or placed it in a large bowl of water, the pendant defiantly remained dim.
At this point, I almost felt like the pendant was mocking me.

‘If it’s come to this, there’s only one way.’

Replenishing the spirit’s power that had faded over 680 years.
But…

‘The previous Emperor is dead, and Calix had his blessing stolen. So where am I supposed to get the spirit’s power?’

It seemed impossible unless I turned into Luminesca myself.

‘Ah, should I just tell him I can’t do it, even now?’

Just then, Ian’s expression flashed through my mind.
The look of pure joy when he realized the power within the pendant was that of a wind spirit.
Remembering that face, I didn’t think I could bring myself to say I couldn’t do it.

“I need to look for more methods.”

Getting up, I picked up my sword and went outside.
Because today was the first day of swordsmanship lessons for Calix.

“Welcome, Rosie.”

He was already waiting by the door leading to the back garden.
Much of the gloom I had seen on his face when we first met had disappeared.
Ever since I gave him the book from Sir Harbor and we talked about the Thebe Archipelago, his face had become quite bright.
He was standing there holding a wooden sword and looked surprised when he saw me.

“Is something wrong? What’s with your face?”
“I stayed up all night looking for a way to clean the pendant…”
“So, any success?”
“No, not yet.”
“What kind of pendant is it anyway?”

After I explained about the pendant, Calix spoke with a troubled expression.

“That’s a tricky case. Normally, if it were just in water, the spirit’s power wouldn’t reach it, but you’re saying the power inherent in the stone itself has weakened and become unstable…”
“I just have to keep looking for a method.”

At my answer, he chuckled.

“Rosie, you’re kind.”
“Pardon?”
“People don’t usually put in that much effort for others.”
“I’m the one who said I’d do it. This much is normal.”
“Hmm, that’s just being highly responsible.”

Me, kind and responsible?

‘If he knew about my past life, he’d never be able to say that.’

The place where you had to fight your friend from yesterday to the death the next day.
The place where if you couldn’t endure that day’s drug injection, you were ‘discarded.’
I survived there until the very end.
For someone like me, who survived by stepping over the corpses of others, praise felt utterly undeserving.

“…I see.”

But instead of denying it, I simply smiled.
A smile that couldn’t possibly hide its loneliness.

“Thank you.”
“By the way, it’s our first lesson today.”

Having arrived in the back garden, he looked back at me with a tense face and asked.

“Are you going to be serious?”
“What do you mean… Ah.”

It seemed he was remembering the incident with Windsor.
I did drive Windsor pretty hard.
To lighten the mood, I joked lightly.

“Don’t worry. You won’t die from being poked by a wooden sword.”
“Was that… supposed to be a joke?”

…It didn’t land.
Having nothing more to say, I had to start the lesson. I raised my sword and spoke.

“There are two most important things in swordsmanship.”
“Two things?”
“The first is composure and focus. In battle, if you’re swayed by emotions, you’re easily defeated. To maintain composure, you must always calm your mind and assess your opponent.”
“Then, what’s the second?”
“The second is humility and a willingness to learn. The more you wield a sword, the more you must humble yourself and maintain an open mind to learning. If you become complacent or arrogant, you can be defeated at any time.”
“I understand.”

He nodded, gripping the sword with both hands. His face shone with a resolve and determination I hadn’t seen before.
Seeing him like that, I was newly impressed by him. Especially his sincere attitude towards everything, despite his young age of 15 and his status as Crown Prince.
Even if the exterior seemed mature, inside he must still be a child needing an adult’s care.
Yet, he always faced adversity alone, striving to push forward somehow.

‘I must do my best to teach him, to repay that spirit.’

I raised my wooden sword and spoke.

“Well then. Do your best and come at me.”

A while later.

“Hah… hah… hah… hah……”

Calix, drenched in sweat, threw down his wooden sword and flopped onto his back.
Three hours had passed.
I, who had been enjoying the early spring breeze with a fresh face, tilted my head.

“Oh? Not going to continue?”
“It’s not that I won’t… it’s that I can’t……”

He muttered, wiping his mouth after pouring water from a bottle into it.

“How is it that after three hours of sparring, I couldn’t even touch you once? You’re not even sweating… Are you a monster?”

Well, yes, I am a monster.
I had actually planned to go for exactly three more hours, but it seemed if I continued, I’d be called something worse than a monster.
Reluctantly, I proposed something to him.

“Then let’s do this.”
“What?”
“If you manage to touch my body even once with your wooden sword today, I’ll consider it Your Highness’s win.”
“…Alright.”

He got up from the ground and grinned. My gaze instinctively lingered on his face.
His pale face, carrying the unique freshness of a boy.
His strikingly black hair, and his purple eyes, beautiful like the sky in the fleeting moment after sunset before night falls.
I realized it anew; he was a man with a promising future.
Despite his face, which held both freshness and mystery, his prominent shoulder blades and large hands already exuded a masculine charm.
I found myself staring, mesmerized, at the curve of his crescent-moon-like lips, before snapping back to my senses belatedly.

‘What’s wrong with me? Am I crazy?’

It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen a man’s face.
I’m the one who never stared blatantly at the faces of Theodore or Alexion, who were the most popular at the Institute.
So why suddenly, and at the Crown Prince of all people…

‘Get a grip, Logy.’

They say swordsmanship is the best for mental focus.
To forget my distracting thoughts, I relentlessly pressed him. He gritted his teeth, parrying my strikes, but never once said he wanted to stop the lesson.
Somehow, that bothered me even more.

CLACK!
The wooden swords met in mid-air with a fierce sound. I lightly stepped back, then instantly stepped forward with both feet and swung my sword.

“…Ugh!”

He hurriedly raised his sword to block my attack. But it seemed it was too much for him to deflect the impact, as a groan escaped his lips.
Soon after, he slumped down, still holding the wooden sword. Judging by how he was clutching his wrist, it seemed he had strained it.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“……”
“Shall I bring something for a cold compress?”

There was no answer from him. A sense of unease began to creep over me.

‘Did he pass out while sitting?’

Now that I thought about it, my opponent was just an ordinary person who had learned a bit of swordsmanship. I quickly checked the time; five hours had already passed.
An ordinary person would have fainted long ago.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

I hurried over to him and shook his shoulder. Even with my touch, he couldn’t steady himself and swayed like a leaf, his head bowed.

“Your Highness!”

Just as I, flustered, moved closer and shouted…

“Rosie.”

Suddenly, a faint light bloomed from his wooden sword.
In the blink of an eye, he reversed his grip on the sword and poked the back of my hand, which was holding his shoulder, with the hilt.
Startled, I met his eyes.

“You let your guard down.”

The face he turned towards me was shining with a playfulness I’d never seen before.

“Even though you told me not to.”

I froze in surprise. In that time, he sprang to his feet, retrieved his sword, and asked.

“Well, then I’ve won, right?”
“……”

For some reason, I couldn’t speak. The back of my hand where he had poked me with the hilt was just excessively warm.
As I remained speechless, he tilted his head and gestured to me.

“Let’s go inside, Rosie.”
“Ah, yes.”

As I followed him inside, I suddenly stopped and touched the back of my hand.
Wait a minute… It’s really warm.
‘Why is that?’
Now that I thought about it, I was too flustered to notice before.
Just before he poked my hand, I’m sure his sword had emitted a light.
Moreover, that light… it didn’t feel unfamiliar at all.
Yes, I’m sure I’ve felt it somewhere before…