[522] A New Contract (1)
Thirty-four kilometers off Galliant Island sat an island that didn't appear on any map.
Known only to old fishermen who'd been sailing for over forty years, the island called Baekdo had long ago been privatized—bought for a fortune from the Galliant Autonomous District by some organization.
On Baekdo now, one of the Ivory Tower's caretakers, Keira, lay low in a small cabin, waiting for orders from above.
The sea around her was full of the unknown.
Countless plants and animals had evolved there on their own, and there were even birds that sang like flutes.
Keira was preparing an early morning meal in a hut built beside a tiny waterfall.
It was a modest breakfast, but for someone who'd always been swallowed by work, it felt like a rare rest.
"Smells good. Rabbit stew?"
Keira's hand, stirring the ladle, froze.
She hadn't sensed anyone approach, but the voice alone was enough.
Armin laughed. "What, you're going to slam the door in my face?"
Keira pretended not to hear and bent back to the pot.
"…I'll come back when you've calmed down."
As Armin turned, Keira snatched up the ladle and threw it in a flustered fit.
It clattered across the floor, and Keira—bursting into tears—ran at full speed and threw herself at Armin.
"You rat! I thought you were dead! Really… I thought you were dead!"
Armin patted Keira's back. "I'm back. Like I promised."
Through tears, Keira brightened. "You're really back? Sit—aren't you hungry?"
Her mouth wouldn't stop moving, as busy as her hands preparing the meal.
"I was punished for tearing up the treaty pledge. They ordered me to stay here until you returned. Still—worth the wait. Ah, after breakfast we should go straight to the Ivory Tower. You need to report."
"No, Keira. I'm not going back to the Ivory Tower."
Keira spun around, stunned. "What do you mean?"
"I have work to do. I'll be operating with a new team for a while. You'll understand."
"Understand? You can't avoid the Ivory Tower's watch just because you came back alive."
"Of course not. But it should be fine. This time, the Ivory Tower won't have any choice but to accept my proposal."
"What happened? A new team? What's that about?"
"First—eat. I'll explain."
Armin sat at the table with deliberate calm.
This was going to be a long day.
* * *
Bashka, capital of the Kingdom of Tormia.
Kuan returned to Kaizen Swordsmanship School, packed his few belongings into a single bag, and changed clothes.
He inspected his outfits with more care than usual, but none of them satisfied him.
'Should I cut the sleeves off? Or leave them as they are?'
The door burst open and a razor-sharp voice rang out.
"You crazy bastard!"
Kiyora Elise, the school's steward, barred the doorway.
"You're back?"
Kuan gave a brief greeting and turned back to the mirror.
"What? Back? Yeah, you're back, you bastard! Do you know how much trouble I went through to withdraw your resignation?"
Kuan had been marked for dismissal after skipping classes without permission, but Elise had used her influence to put that dismissal on hold.
Given who she was, her emotions when Kuan returned were impossible to describe.
He was back.
Limping on one leg—and missing an arm.
As the steward who handled nerve reconnections, Elise was the last person to see a dear friend come back in such a state and not have her heart break.
Whether she knew it or not, Kuan acted like someone who'd finally thrown out some long-rotted trash and felt relieved.
"Why undo it? I stayed up writing that thing. Give it back."
"Ugh, damn it!"
Elise flung the resignation onto the floor.
It wasn't like they were training a mangy mutt—if he was leaving the school anyway, what use was it?
"What's gotten into you? You could at least stick around through the break and think it over. Call it a sabbatical!"
"I found another job. Besides, I can't be a teacher now. My sword won't be passed on to students. So find another instructor."
Elise, also a teacher at the school, had a vague sense of what Kuan had gained by losing his arm.
Kuan before leaving and Kuan now were almost different people; his temperament had shifted oddly.
"You're not going to tell me? You don't want to be friends with me anymore?"
"I'm not the sort to be bullied into staying. By the way—what do you think? Cut the sleeves, or leave them?"
"How would I know, you idiot! You cut off your own arm; why do you care about sleeves? You're driving me nuts!"
"Better to leave them as they are."
It might be cumbersome in battle, but it looked better.
Only then did Elise realize how deep Kuan's change ran. He cared about his clothes now; his manner with people was calmer. He'd resolved to step back into the world after shedding a long nightmare.
"Aren't you going to regret it?"
Kuan looked back at Elise. "I'll be fine."
Elise was left speechless.
How could she keep a beloved friend from leaving when this was the first smile he'd shown in ten years?
"Thanks. I'll be in touch."
Kuan patted Elise's shoulder and left. He passed the corridors and glanced at the training yard where he had driven countless students to their limits. Even the hated sights seemed nostalgic today.
'I wonder how Rian's doing?'
Rian had quit school to apprentice with a knight. Seeing how things had turned out, Kuan realized he'd been a step behind Rian.
'We'll meet someday.'
That was the fate of a swordsman.
He climbed into a prebooked carriage and told the driver to take him to Kentra city—a famed pastoral region of Tormia, and the area with the restaurant where he'd had lunch with Shiina before going to Heaven.
Today he would see her again.
"I hope I'm not late."
Twenty minutes behind schedule, Kuan flung open the carriage door and strode into the restaurant.
"Damn."
The place was just as comfortably familiar; the patrons mostly dressed plainly.
But Kuan stood out.
Wearing a sword and looking fierce, he silenced the room and drew every eye.
Shiina rose from a corner table. "Over here, sir."
Kuan stared for a moment. Without her glasses and with her hair down, Shiina looked like a different person.
As the beautiful woman greeted him, the patrons exchanged puzzled glances between the two of them.
Even if he tried not to care, her presence was impossible to ignore.
Only Shiina looked at Kuan with genuine warmth.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine. Bashka's a long way. How have you been?"
"Good. Um…"
Shiina had been the one to reach out first—likely because the promise they'd exchanged in Heaven had been weighing on her.
Kuan ordered a lamb steak.
Everything felt strange after losing an arm, but there was no reason to pick something else.
He soon regretted that choice.
The meat was tougher than expected and wouldn't slice cleanly—not something a table knife could handle.
"Pfft!"
A laugh from the neighboring table stopped his cutting.
He turned to see a woman belatedly covering her mouth and bowing, while the man across from her avoided his gaze.
"Don't mind them," Shiina said. "I know how strong you are, Kuan-sensei. Strong people carry themselves with ease."
Having learned her own frailty in Heaven, Shiina also understood what weights the strong bore.
"I'll cut it for you."
Before Kuan could object, Shiina took his plate and cut the steak.
Her gesture seemed to do the trick; the patrons' looks warmed considerably.
They were probably operating under the mistaken idea that Shiina was helping a disabled man, but the change in their attitude was real.
Kuan watched, almost transfixed.
He noticed how differently people treated him now.
"Shiina-sensei."
She, focused on the cutting, looked up. "Yes?"
"You don't have to go that far out of your way. I appreciate the kindness, but if you think you owe me…"
She suddenly offered him a piece of steak on the fork, and Kuan was speechless.
In thrusting terms, it was an impeccable move.
When he lifted his eyes, Shiina's face was flushed crimson and she couldn't find where to look.
"W-will you eat it?"
When emotions surge, reason can slip and people do irrational things—Shiina was caught in that swell. She did like Kuan, but she hadn't planned to be this bold.
The patrons, sensing the atmosphere, watched with rapt curiosity.
Kuan stared for a long moment, then gave a faint smile and took the meat.
"Ah…"
He accepted the fork politely, inclined his head, and said, "Thank you."
If Elise had seen it, she'd have teased him all the way to his grave, but Kuan felt content. Who could blame someone for taking one pleasant memory before a long journey?
After the meal, Shiina hesitated at the carriage.
"When school starts, we probably won't be able to meet often."
"Yes. That's likely. Don't worry about it."
Shiina tilted her head, then, clumsy with words on matters of the heart, stumbled over what to say.
"If it's okay… would you write to me? Letters?"
"Letters?"
Surprised, Kuan blinked, thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll be waiting."
Shiina visibly brightened. "I'll send them to the sword school."
"The sword school… ah, yes. That should work."
"Then, Kuan-sensei, please have a safe trip."
She bowed politely and climbed into the carriage. Her face was flushed as the door shut.
She would be exchanging letters with a man she'd only recently discovered—a thrill she hadn't felt since owing Armin a childhood debt.
Kuan watched the departing carriage a long while, then turned toward the city gates.
As they entered the forest, the others who'd arrived earlier stepped out to meet him.
Armin asked, "Was the meal pleasant?"
"It was just a prior engagement. I wasn't going for pleasure," Kuan answered honestly.
Shiina was a good person, but having learned the world's secrets, Kuan chose to protect her rather than pursue immediate happiness.
'I can't stop here. I need to grow stronger.'
"What's with the solemn face? You look like someone coming back from a last supper," someone teased.
Miro and Arius stepped out of the opposite thicket.
Shirone—still wearing Armand's robe—was asleep, carried on Arius's back.
Miro tapped Shirone's head. "Anyway, since everyone's here, shall we get moving? Wake this brat quick so we can get on with things."
Since returning from Heaven, Miro had asked Armin and Kuan to help with her affairs.
In some ways Armin and Kuan were rivals, but to her they were both indispensable talents.
Especially Kuan—his unique swordsmanship, shaped by what he learned in Heaven, was strong enough to upend established schools of swordsmanship.
"You said you'd cooperate, so we'll go wherever. Wherever my sword is needed," Armin said.
"So how do you plan to wake Shirone?" he asked.
"It's not decided yet. I'll talk with her and some answer will come."
"Her?"
Miro smiled. "Theraje, the Empress of Kashan."