In the aftermath of the major incident, the manor was as quiet as the calm before a storm.
Following Yujin‘s instructions, Kisharsinagh and Kiril trained quietly, while Yujin secluded himself in the Nearl library, poring over books on Kazimierz.
Since the Nearl family had maintained its traditions for so long, the library was filled with diverse texts, family history, and ancient tomes that could be considered historical records.
The butler kept them in pristine condition, so Yujin handled them with care.
"…What are you doing?"
"Just reading. It‘s not like we can wander outside."
Since the attack, Yujin and Raquelamalin had adopted a rule: if someone needed to go out, only one of them would go, while the other stayed behind. They took turns, though since neither went out much to begin with, it was mostly Larin who made the occasional trip.
Wearing an oversized t-shirt and short shorts, Raquelamalin sat on the desk where Yujin was reading. She stared intently at him, noticing the glasses perched on his nose. She reached out and touched the frames.
"Why are you wearing glasses? Your eyesight is perfect."
"Just for the vibe. Makes me look smarter, doesn't it?"
"Would I look intellectual too?"
Larin took the glasses off Yujin‘s face and put them on herself, pushing them up with a finger. She then swept her hair back and tied it up. Even to a stranger, her beauty in that moment would have been breathtaking.
’I hope this works.‘
Her "sisters" had told her that men found women tying their hair back incredibly attractive.
Yujin was dense. Larin knew objectively that she was beautiful. In the Banshee Valley, it hadn't mattered, but since coming to Kazimierz, she had felt the weight of her looks. Men often looked at her with greed—though Yujin never did.
This was her first attempt at seduction. Who would a Banshee Princess need to seduce? Unless men were lining up to woo her, it was irrelevant.
But they said the one who falls in love first loses. Her sisters had emphasized that. So, she needed to make this feeling mutual.
"Is it interesting?"
"No, I‘m not reading it for fun."
Larin leaned over Yujin‘s shoulder to read the book with him. She was close enough that he could hear her breathing.
Wondering if her efforts were in vain, Larin glanced sideways.
Though his face remained impassive, Yujin‘s ear was burning red.
"Hmm~"
"Don't blow in my ear. It tickles."
"What about this?"
Larin made a small clicking sound with her tongue right next to his ear. Yujin flinched and slid his chair away with supernatural speed.
He was sitting right there a second ago... how did he move so fast?
"…Stop it."
Yujin glared at her, his face flushed, trying to avert his gaze. Larin burst into laughter, finding his reaction adorable.
Seeing him like this made her happy. She hoped he thought of her as much as she thought of him.
But she had to stop teasing him. Walking the line was fun, but crossing it would just be annoying.
"Whew. Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
"Just because? Your reactions are fun."
Ah, played like a fiddle by a woman‘s whims again, Yujin thought as he stood up, dusting off his pants.
"Larin, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor? You?"
"Yeah. Can you send a letter with your familiar?"
A letter. He probably wanted to send word back home.
"Probably? As long as it doesn't get caught in a Catastrophe or something weird along the way, it should be fine."
"Then please. I need to send this."
A raven descended, its feathers fluttering, and landed on Larin‘s finger. The bird glanced at Yujin, then looked at Larin with clear dissatisfaction.
"Caw!"
"Yes, I need you to do this for me."
"Caw! CAAAW!"
The raven screamed as if in protest, then suddenly launched itself at Yujin.
"Whoa!"
"SKREEEEE—!"
Like a hawk, the raven extended its talons and pecked at Yujin. Larin hurriedly grabbed the bird and pulled it back to her chest, but Yujin‘s hair was already a mess.
"…Crazy bird."
"Why is he acting like this? He's usually gentle..."
Yujin and the raven engaged in a staring contest. Larin carefully tied the letter to the bird‘s leg, though the raven still looked reluctant.
As Yujin opened the window, the bird perched on the sill and looked back at him.
It spread its wings dramatically, pointed a wingtip at its eye, and then pointed at Yujin.
"…Are you saying 'I'm watching you'?"
"Caw!"
With that, it flew off into the sky. Yujin wondered what kind of bird acted like that, but ravens were supposed to be intelligent. Though this one seemed to transcend mere intelligence.
Feeling a bit defeated, Yujin looked out at the sky through the window.
"Training! Training! Training!"
"Kiril, have you lost your mind?"
"TRAAAAIIINING! TRAINING! TRAINING!"
"Yep, he's lost it."
Kisharsinagh watched Kiril running laps while screaming "Training!" like a madman.
The recent incident had served as a wake-up call for both of them. They couldn't be complacent in peace; they had to run.
Both Kiril and Kisha possessed genius-level talent. Kisha had an uncanny affinity for Arts, similar to Yujin, while Kiril‘s raw physical strength and potential rivaled Yujin‘s.
Thud!
Kiril stomped the ground, launching himself forward with explosive power. Like a horse galloping across the plains, he seemed to fly across the earth.
Watching him, Kisha wondered why she had picked up the sword.
At first, it was just to build up her weak body. But the deeper she went, the more fun it became. It wasn't forced labor; it was something she chose to do, something she was praised for doing well.
"…In that sense, is the Old Man like my dad?"
Father. Family. Words that felt distant to Kisha now.
Thinking of her blood relatives, the ones called "family," gave her a headache. Except for her younger brother, those people didn't deserve the title.
Maybe that was why she refused to call Yujin "Brother." To Kisha, "Brother" meant...
*["Ki... shar... sinagh."] *
The image of her blood brother, bleeding, reaching out with a desperate hand.
*["No! Brother! You're not my brother!"] *
Even with her eyes closed, the scene was vivid. How could she forget?
So she had to learn the sword. To sever the ill fate of the past and move forward.
Standing still changed nothing.
Starlight, different from Yujin‘s platinum, flowed from her wooden sword. Against the backdrop of the night, the stars poured onto the blade as Kisha swung it with force.
As if to split the day and night, dyeing the world in twilight.
Her strength was still weak, so the light vanished quickly, but she believed that one day, she could be like Yujin.
She had to believe it.
Meanwhile, Kiril ran, thinking only of running. Shouting meaningless noises to clear his complex thoughts.
He couldn't be helpless. He couldn't be a burden. To do that, he had to be strong.
It had started as rebellion. He resented his father for not believing in his dream of knighthood, so he trained alone without a teacher, telling himself he could do it.
I can do it.
I can reach it.
If he hadn't met Yujin, he would have continued that way until he lost everything.
A bright golden light flickered in his vision. Kiril sprinted forward and threw a punch. A sonic boom echoed as the air exploded. After throwing meaningless punches at nothing, he finally collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"Are you done being an idiot?"
"…Yes, Sister."
Kisha approached him. Kiril glanced at her, then looked back up at the sky.
"Do you think I can become a knight?"
"Why the sudden weakness?"
"Just... thinking. I don't think I can ever be like Master."
Yujin acted without hesitation. If something needed to be done, he did it. If not, he didn't. His boundaries were clear.
The dream of being a knight felt so far away now. The knights Kiril had seen all had their own honor.
"It‘s a dream. You have to do it, even if it's hard."
"…You're right. Sorry for whining."
Regaining his energy quickly, Kiril jumped up. Picking up his wooden sword, a thought occurred to him, and he asked Kisha.
"Then, Sister, do you have a dream?"
"Of course I do."
"I see. Can you tell me what it is...?"
"No. Not yet. I'll tell you later."
Perhaps she would never be able to say it.
Her dream...
It had been born from the moment she learned the sword.
Someday, definitely.
She would sever this chain of malice herself and leave.
This young girl already knew her ending.