1.
To be honest, my impression of Cordelia was simply that she was a friend of Mom’s whose face I didn’t even know.
I knew she had something to thank me for, but I’d never even considered receiving any proper compensation or anything like that.
That evening, since I was going to meet her anyway, I asked Yuna to search for Cordelia Rosenfelt on the Tower community so I could at least recognize her face.
"...Wow."
As expected of a Dawn Apostle.
She was so beautiful that she honestly didn’t seem real.
Her white hair was cut evenly along both sides of her cheeks. I thought that hairstyle was called a hime cut.
And the rest of her hair was neatly tied back as well.
A hime ponytail. It didn’t seem like a style just anyone could pull off...
But her deep crimson eyes overwhelmed everything else, so it didn’t feel especially incongruous.
Besides, she was expressionless in every photo, which somehow only made her more compelling.
Like she was always angry.
And every outfit she wore looked like a martial uniform that covered her tightly from neck to wrists.
A suit? Or should I call it a formal uniform?
The shoulders were sharply structured, while only the waist was tailored close to her body...
"..."
Her proportions were incredible.
At the same time, she didn’t look merely skinny. Even through her clothes, the contours made it obvious that she trained her body.
But...
"...What am I doing?"
Why was I dissecting and analyzing someone whose face I’d never even seen?
In my opinion, this was another kind of occupational hazard.
"...Okay."
I’d roughly confirmed what she looked like. See you next time, Cordelia.
With that, I stretched and lay down on my bed.
About a week passed.
I munched on a sandwich as I thought about what I needed to do today.
Ruby’s vacation ended tomorrow, after all... which had left her in quite a bad mood.
I’d handled Ruby’s situation well enough, so it was time for me to start thinking about the next piece of equipment I would make.
"Hmm..."
Plenty of ideas came to mind.
But choosing just one was difficult.
A sword was the highest priority.
I’d put it off once already.
And lately, I’d also been thinking that I needed to establish some kind of long-term direction.
I didn’t need to worry about making a living... but there was a chance that I would eventually receive an invitation to climb the Tower myself.
"..."
At first, the main point had been that I would never climb it, but my thoughts might have changed now...
It felt like I could ride the Great Emperor Ruby Express.
And since the driver’s equipment was being custom-made too, I probably wouldn’t have to worry about the ride being rough.
Still, Cordelia was coming today...
I could talk with her first and think about it afterward. It wouldn’t be too late.
Ah, I didn’t mean I was going to make Cordelia equipment. I just meant I was putting off my decision.
Having reached that conclusion, I stuffed the rest of the sandwich into my mouth.
Then, sometime that afternoon.
Clack!
Ruby was working out with fierce determination, right up until the last day of her vacation.
"Whew."
I was lying nearby, admiring the patterns on the ceiling.
Knock, knock.
That was when I heard someone knock on the door.
I turned my head and saw a familiar face through the slightly open door.
"Sebas?"
"Lionel, your guests have arrived."
Ah, they were here.
"Keep it up, Ruby."
"...Okay."
I headed outside.
The original drawing room had become Ruby’s territory, so we would be receiving the guests in the newly prepared drawing room.
Ah, I should bring Dolores with me first.
I was a little too nervous to go alone.
As I headed to find Dolores, I saw something in the opposite end of the hallway...
"Hm?"
Two women were walking toward me.
One of them was familiar: a white doctor’s coat and flowing sky-blue hair.
Camilla.
And the other one...
Her face was familiar too. Why? Because I’d seen it in photos not long ago.
But...
Her clothes were different.
In the photos, she had worn a formal uniform buttoned up tight from head to toe. Now, she wore a black dress that exposed her neck, shoulders, and arms.
It was practically sleeveless, and the hem of her skirt fluttered with every step.
"...!"
Camilla spotted me first.
Our doctor knew who I was.
The corners of her lips rose slightly, and she gave me a small wave with the hand opposite Cordelia.
I answered with a faint smile of my own.
According to Dolores, Cordelia still didn’t know that the person who had helped her was me, Lionel.
She probably had no idea I was this young.
Perhaps that was why Camilla didn’t call my name or speak to me.
She would probably be rather surprised...
Well, we would all be together when we exchanged greetings.
Just as I was about to naturally pass by the two of them.
"...Excuse me."
"...?"
"Wait a moment."
Cordelia called out to me.
Even Camilla turned to look at her, apparently surprised.
"Yes?"
When I turned around, Cordelia swiftly took a step toward me.
"...Sniff."
And an utterly unexpected scent came from her as she approached.
A faintly sweet scent... peaches.
It was the soft, fresh scent someone might have right after bathing.
Just as my eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected fragrance.
"..."
Ah.
I’d just taken the red pill.
There was a small black tattoo shaped like a sword on Cordelia’s left forearm.
Now I understood why she usually kept herself all covered up... Well, yes, she should.
This was a fantasy world, and as a noble, she needed to comport herself properly all the more.
I had a personal principle.
What I called the tattoo-cigarette-piercing rule: I didn’t like women with tattoos, cigarettes, or piercings.
...Scary.
"Hey, don’t harass the kid."
Thankfully, Camilla cut in at just the right moment, dragging Cordelia away toward the drawing room.
"..."
Even as she was being dragged away, her eyes remained fixed on me.
Wait, could she have read my mind?
She didn’t have an ability like Dolores’s, did she...?
I might actually like tattoos.
I planted that thought just in case.
Whether the two went into the drawing room or not, I headed for Dolores first.
Creak.
"Shall we go...?"
Holding hands, we walked out into the hallway together.
"I saw the two of them on my way here... Camilla came too?"
"Mm... Cordelia is still recovering, so it seems Camilla came along with her. Camilla also wanted to see you, Lionel."
"Oh-ho."
When we reached the drawing room, Dolores lightly knocked on the door and opened it.
Creak...
The first thing I saw was the two of them seated apart on opposite sides of the sofa.
Perhaps their personalities showed even here. Camilla sat comfortably against the backrest, while...
Cordelia sat with her back perfectly straight.
Aside from the overly revealing black dress, she radiated the air of a noble household.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"We only just arrived too."
Dolores and Camilla exchanged words.
All the while, Cordelia’s eyes remained on me.
"...Cordelia."
"Dolores..."
Then Dolores and Cordelia met each other’s eyes.
The two looked silently at one another...
Dolores released my hand and slowly approached Cordelia.
Cordelia rose from her seat as well.
Squeeze...
Without saying anything, they embraced quietly.
"Congratulations on coming back..."
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Dolores..."
"..."
Dolores held Cordelia a little longer.
It looked as though they were about to begin a simple conversation, so I obediently sat down and watched them.
I was watching them, but...
Squeeze, squeeze.
"...?"
At some point, Camilla had come up behind me and was hugging me.
...Had Camilla and I always been this close?
Our distance was almost on Yeomhwa’s level.
"Hehe, Lionel, have you been well? Have you been sleeping okay? Have you been eating properly? You haven’t been overworking yourself and skipping sleep again, have you?"
"I’ve been eating well... and sleeping... Yes, I’ve been sleeping well too."
Camilla looked over my face, then buried her nose against the nape of my neck and smiled contentedly.
"You smell like a baby."
"That can’t be true."
I was fourteen. I was even closer to fifteen.
"How can you smell like this when you’re fourteen? Amazing."
Pat, pat.
Camilla held me from behind and stroked my head, then opened her mouth as though she had just remembered something.
"Ah, and... I gave it some thought."
"Yes, yes."
"I don’t think Dolores properly passed along what I said."
"..."
Dolores hadn’t passed something along?
What did that mean?
"It’s not that I’m very grateful..."
"Ah, that."
"It’s that your aunt loves you very much."
"...Ah."
I see.
Aunt. Right, she was my aunt.
I could accept love from an aunt.
Ah, like an emoticon an aunt would send to her youngest nephew.
The kind of emoticon that made you smile when you received it, without any need to read too deeply into it.
"Thank you. Hehe."
It was a somewhat lecherous laugh, but I smiled and nodded anyway.
"But Lionel, I’m curious. Yeomhwa and Isabella... do they kiss you on the cheek?"
"Yeomhwa does... but Isabella hardly ever does."
"...So it’s not a majority. Got it."
How many kisses had Camilla showered me with by then?
Their conversation also seemed to be winding down.
Dolores lightly brushed Cordelia’s shoulder and stepped back a little.
"...And, Cordelia."
"Yes."
"There is someone else you should truly be thanking."
Cordelia nodded.
Glance.
For some reason, her eyes flicked toward me before returning to Dolores.
Dolores slowly lowered her voice...
"What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room."
"..."
"It is an oath of the Dawn Apostles."
Cordelia’s expression shifted slightly.
"If it is serious enough to invoke the oath..."
"Yes. He is someone very precious to me."
Hmm... Hearing that said so openly made my face turn red.
Camilla must have noticed, because she chuckled softly and kneaded my thigh.
An oath of the Dawn Apostles... Dolores had told me about it once before.
It meant not doing anything that would harm one another.
She had said it was one of the biggest reasons she could reveal my identity.
Someone might ask why we couldn’t reveal it to Seren, then...
But as I said before, what mattered was the faction standing behind that person.
Seren belonged to neither the red nor green zone, but the yellow zone, because the Imperial Family stood behind her.
On the other hand, Cordelia had now left the Company and entered the blue zone.
For now, it was right for our dear Seren to know me only as Cristiano. That was enough.
Cordelia stared intently into Dolores’s eyes.
"...I promise."
After hearing her answer, Dolores gave a small nod.
It seemed that, naturally enough, it was now my turn.
Just as expected, Dolores turned and pointed at me.
"Lionel."
"Yes."
"Could you come here?"
"Of course."
Hop.
I jumped down from Camilla’s embrace and went over to Dolores.
And from here on... well, I could handle this easily enough.
Let me introduce myself.
"Hello. My name is Lionel."
I looked up at Cordelia and bowed my head.
"I made Camilla’s equipment. I heard it helped with your treatment, so I’m glad."
It felt a little embarrassing to introduce myself like this.
I couldn’t exactly say, I’m the blacksmith who saved your life.
"Yes..."
Feeling that I had nothing else to say, I slowly nodded.
"Well... you don’t happen to need any equipment here, do you?"
I only tossed out the question as a courtesy, since she was a Dawn Apostle.
She came from the Company and was ranked first, so even if nothing else, surely they would have taken good care of her equipment...
Cordelia’s expression suddenly changed.
Was she not in the mood for jokes?
I wondered if I had said something wrong and grew nervous, when Cordelia took a step forward.
Thud.
"Huh?"
She suddenly dropped to both knees and began looking up at me.
I instinctively reached out my hand.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Please allow me to first pay you the respect you are due."
"No, what is this all of a sudden...?"
Cordelia looked at me, placed one hand over her chest, and lowered her head.
"Cordelia Rosenfelt, descendant of House Rosenfelt."
"..."
"I formally offer my gratitude to the benefactor who saved my worthless life and opened a path for my younger sister to live."
"..."
At a loss, I looked back at Dolores.
But Mom only nodded, making no move to stop her.
"What you did for us, despite not even knowing who we were..."
Clench...
The hand over her chest gripped the black dress tightly.
Whether her emotions had overflowed or she was overwhelmed, her voice trembled slightly too...
Clench...
Her right hand, which had been gripping the front of her dress, moved to clasp her left forearm.
The spot where the tattoo was earlier.
Pressing down hard on that spot, Cordelia bowed her head again.
"I swear upon the name of Rosenfelt that I will never forget this kindness."
"Yes, yes, but first, please stand up..."
This was my first time receiving a surprise kneeling-and-gratitude routine, so I was flustered.
I hurried closer and urged her to rise.
Maybe because we were so close... the peach scent I had smelled earlier seeped deep into my nose.
...Nice.
After calming Cordelia down a bit and seating her back on the sofa, she answered the question I had asked earlier.
"...I have no equipment."
"...Excuse me?"
"Armor Break."
She paused, closed her eyes, and seemed to carefully choose her words...
"Because of the Tower’s laws, I cannot tell you the details of what happened on the 200th floor. But the boss there... possessed an authority that destroys equipment."
"Ah..."
Wait, then...
"All the equipment I was wearing was destroyed, and currently..."
"Whoa."
Was she naked?
"Then the equipment you have now..."
"None."
I didn’t know why she was speaking so formally to me, but Cordelia’s circumstances didn’t look easy at all.
"..."
One thought came to mind.
"...What about your sword?"
"..."
Cordelia slightly closed her eyes.
Swish.
She opened an inventory space in midair and took something from it.
And what she took out was...
What the hell?
At first, I thought it was a dagger, but the handle was far too large compared to the blade.
There was a crack running through the handle too.
"It was House Rosenfelt’s sword. Now, as you can see..."
"..."
Instead of answering, I leaned in to examine the sword more closely.
It was completely wrecked.
Even the information window wouldn’t appear.
After I inspected it silently for a while, Cordelia hastily spoke up.
"...Ah, I intend to acquire equipment soon. I appreciate your concern, but I did not show it to you because I wished to burden you further."
She suddenly began speaking much more quickly.
And she withdrew the hand that had been holding up the sword.
It seemed she was afraid I would worry about her...
...I was a little worried, though.
"I will visit again soon with proper recompense. Today, I first wished to express my gratitude..."
Having finished speaking, Cordelia lowered her head.
The broken and ruined sword must have been extremely precious to her, because she carefully put it back into her inventory space.
"As for repairs... I am looking into them myself, so please do not worry too much..."
"..."
That couldn’t be repaired.
The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them for now.
So, if I summarized her current situation...
No equipment, no affiliation, no family to return to.
She herself was recovering... and nobody even knew when her younger sister would wake up.
"...What?"
What recompense was she supposed to prepare?
I wanted her to take care of herself first.
After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth.
Actually, there was something I had been considering since before I made Ruby’s insignia.
I had made armor... so next came the flower of all weapons.
"Do you happen to rent things?"
"...Pardon?"
Cordelia raised her head.
A sword.
Ruby’s impending return to school had merely pushed its turn back a little.
"I was going to try making a sword anyway."
"..."
"If it turns out well, would you like to borrow it?"
Of course, I would have to charge her. Giving things away thoughtlessly was a little much.
Besides, a sword... wasn’t the kind of weapon you made once and called it done.
Feedback from the number one ranker would be quite high-quality.
If I could hear that kind of feedback, wouldn’t it help me to some extent as well...?
[Hahahahahaha]
Don’t laugh...
Yuna’s laughter made it feel as though my inner thoughts had been exposed.
Actually, I had made all sorts of excuses.
Fine, I would just be honest.
I was rather worried about her.
That was simply how I felt.
My motivation for crafting until now had come from being moved by my feelings in the first place.
There was no reason to apply a different standard just because it was Cordelia, right?
So...
"What do you think?"
I smiled softly at Cordelia.
"..."
Cordelia stared blankly at me, and the arm holding her forearm visibly tensed.
Clench...
And then.
"...My lord."
...My what?
She lowered her head, speaking words whose meaning I could not understand.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register