Silence is always heavy.
The thickened air pressed down on my lungs, interrupting my thoughts. I hesitated, my hand twitching restlessly.
Should I grip the axe handle or not?
It took only a few seconds for my resolute decision to waver.
Lupeisia.
Honestly, she was a difficult opponent.
I felt personally indebted to her.
A few months ago, Lupeisia was vile and cruel. She abused and assaulted Emma simply because she was a commoner, and in my anger, I punished Lupeisia and her group.
I severed their limbs.
Although Lupeisia was at fault first, I couldn’t deny that my response was excessive.
Using that as an excuse, Shi-en even tried to expel me.
But in the end, Lupeisia forgave me.
Perhaps my heart was swayed by Emma’s dedication, who visited the hospital several times. I hadn’t heard what happened afterward, and I never expected Emma to end up as one of her close friends.
I was grateful.
So, I couldn’t bring myself to draw my weapon.
I simply flinched and gritted my teeth.
I should kill her.
As I hesitated, Lupeisia cleared her throat and subtly avoided my gaze.
It seemed that the fear she had of me hadn’t completely faded.
“…What a coincidence, Emma.”
“Yeah, huh?”
It was an unbelievable sight.
Emma was speaking informally to Lupeisia.
The Emma who always maintained politeness with the nobles around me.
This meant they were close.
Before I could absorb that shock, the two women’s whispers tickled my ears.
“You prepared something special, didn’t you? You should give it to her quickly while you have the chance.”
“B-but the atmosphere could be better…”
“She’s already busy, don’t worry about the atmosphere! Just give it to her right away… quickly!”
Ultimately, Emma stepped forward, unable to resist Lupeisia’s insistence, who was poking her in the side.
I, still embroiled in my internal conflict, jumped in surprise.
Looking again, Emma was hiding something behind her back. Her flushed face created a charming atmosphere.
“Um, I-an? So… it might be a little lacking, but I have something prepared.”
“Uh? Ah, yeah…”
At this point, I couldn’t muster the desire to draw my sword.
After all, I could deal with Lupeisia later.
It would be impossible to kill a close friend right in front of Emma.
Calming my heart, just as I loosened my tense hand, Emma, with her eyes tightly shut, presented something to me.
On her slender palms rested a cold weapon.
An axe.
The handle was elegant. The blade was so sharp that it almost seemed to glisten in the light.
Entranced, I accepted the axe in silence.
It felt heavy yet light.
While it might seem contradictory, this axe realized that paradox. It used lightweight and sturdy materials while maintaining an excellent balance.
It must have been the work of a renowned craftsman.
Naturally, it wasn’t something that would cost just a few coins. It was a masterpiece hard to find even if offered at ten thousand gold, if not more.
They say that overwhelming surprise can rob you of your speech.
That was exactly where I stood now.
I could only stutter in disbelief.
“W-where did you get this…?”
“I had been saving a bit of money.”
‘A bit,’ huh?
That was unbelievable.
Not long ago, Emma was foraging for mushrooms due to lack of food money. I had thought it was because of ingredient costs, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Emma had been saving money.
To repay me.
Yet, a question still lingered.
No matter how diligently Emma saved, there was no way she could accumulate such an amount. Tens of thousands of gold was a scale that even noble families struggled to gather.
Naturally, it was an amount that a commoner couldn’t possibly save.
That doubt was resolved shortly thereafter.
“Actually, most of it was supported by Princess Shi-en… and I thought of your axe.”
My eyes darted to the axe hanging at my waist.
I hadn’t been particularly interested in weaponry. A good weapon is great, but I’d often faint or suffer serious injuries in battle.
I wouldn’t want to lose an expensive weapon like that.
So, I had been using easily replaceable common items.
But now, I was a ‘High Expert’ and had confidence that I wouldn’t lose to just anyone.
Was it okay to be greedy?
Emma still seemed embarrassed, not fully meeting my gaze.
“D-do you like it? I’ve never bought something so expensive, so Ari helped me out.”
“…Ari?”
“Ah, Rieri Lupeisia! You know who I mean, right?”
My gaze naturally followed Emma’s to the end, where Lupeisia was trying hard to hide her flushed face while clearing her throat.
“Hem hem, what does a commoner who used to gather medicinal herbs know? It was just a minor assistance as part of my duties as a noble.”
I fell into silence for a moment.
I have to kill her.
I must kill her.
Despite repeating that to myself, I couldn’t bring myself to let go of Emma’s hand.
The only words I managed to squeeze out ended up being mere humor.
“…So why an axe and not a sword? My main weapon is a sword.”
It seemed to be an unexpected question, as Emma’s eyes widened.
After blinking a couple of times, delightful color rose to her cheeks.
“Because swords are a bit expensive… Haha…”
It was a reason typical of Emma.
While I forced a smile, unable to contain my overflowing emotions, I gently wrapped my arms around Emma.
At the sudden embrace, Emma gasped. In that moment, I spoke sincerely to her.
“Thank you, Emma. Let’s meet alone later… I’ll come to the workshop.”
“…Um, okay?”
Hearing my words, Emma oddly made a silly sound.
Her trembling breath and wide-open eyes expressed her feelings. Yet, I was already too overwhelmed to think clearly, and I needed a moment to breathe.
“See you later.”
At my repeated proposal, Emma nodded with a red face.
The creaking footsteps were concerning. Her arms and legs weren’t in sync, and even Lupeisia looked at us with a strange expression.
But what did I care?
Lupeisia, unable to resist Emma’s insistence, took her leave, and soon I was left alone in the clearing.
I still held the axe in my hand.
It wasn’t too late.
I could follow behind, throw the axe, and end it.
Killing was something I had done several times already. I had just recently slit the throat of a friend I had lived with for years.
Yes, I needed to do it.
With a swift motion.
The thrown axe embedded itself into the ground. The sound of it sinking into the ground was so quiet, almost as if it were different from a weapon imbued with a craftsman’s soul.
Finally, I sighed and rubbed my face.
The mocking voice that followed me from behind was inevitable.
“Oh, who would have thought it was your girlfriend? Our ‘Useless Perkus,’ seems to have charm… managed to win over such a devoted and pretty girl, huh?”
I didn’t deny it.
To lay it all bare would lead to endless stories. So I chose to maintain a silence rather than offer excuses.
Of course, that wouldn’t stop Senior Elsi from teasing me.
“And what? You’re not chasing after them? You might lose them if you don’t!”
“The place where Lupeisia will stay is obvious. And, besides…”
As I continued to make excuses, my mouth stopped again.
The word that slipped out after much deliberation was merely a weak phrase that resolved nothing.
“…What should I do?”
“Why are you asking me?”
Her response was a refreshingly bold one.
Senior Elsi, with her arms crossed, spoke about a well-known fact.
“Choices and regrets are yours to bear. Don’t think of pushing them off on someone else.”
Her words were entirely correct.
I nodded in agreement. Senior Elsi turned her gaze away with a bitter smile.
Her eyes seemed to be looking somewhere far away.
“…But still, what? You still have something left.”
“What do you mean?”
“My ‘junior’ appearance.”
Scratching her cheek, Senior Elsi turned her head away bashfully.
“It might seem like boasting, but my junior was like that too… kind and foolishly nice.”
A faint smile appeared on the lips of the girl who was rummaging through some past moment.
Though it sounded like a hollow laugh, there was a subtle sweetness about it.
I guessed she was reminiscing about a happy time.
“I often wondered how she would live without me… I hope she has been doing well after that?”
That was a difficult question to answer.
Has she been doing well?
Now it was my turn to avoid Senior Elsi’s gaze. Instead, I asked a mischievous question to redirect her attention.
“By the way, ‘Useless Perkus,’ huh?”
“Yeah, so what?”
Senior Elsi maintained an attitude of indifference.
Her nonchalant expression annoyed me slightly, and I steeled myself to tease her more.
“So what does ‘junior’ mean?”
“…What?”
“What did you call her? You didn’t say ‘Junior,’ did you?”
With my remark, Senior Elsi’s face slowly paled.
It was the face of a prey revealing a chink in its armor.
Of course, Senior Elsi didn’t resist me.
“Uh, yeah? I did call her that! What, we have some sort of nickname….”
“Then I will have to ask that ‘junior’ too.”
At that, Senior Elsi tightly shut her mouth.
Her blue eyes were flustered, struggling to find a direction. I realized I needed to land a decisive blow here.
“If our stories don’t match, I could have misunderstood. So…”
“…Kus.”
A quivering voice.
But with her head hung low, and the volume so small that even I had trouble making it out, it was a response nearly inaudible. As I gave her a puzzled look, Senior Elsi, who had been shaking her fist, exploded.
“She called me ‘My love Perkus,’ you brat! Is it cringeworthy? Am I a fool? What will you do about it, you jerk?!”
“No, I didn’t mean to go that far…”
“Are you really going to do that? Huh? Using my pure affection like that…!”
In the end, I had to apologize to Senior Elsi for quite some time thereafter.
Emma had enough time to finish all her preparations.
*
A few hours later, Emma welcomed me at the workshop with a noticeably different appearance.
“…Wow, you’re here?”
First of all, she wasn’t in her uniform.
The thin fabric fluttered, revealing her skin subtly. Emma seemed embarrassed by such attire and had difficulty meeting my gaze.
Did she lack clothing?
I would have to buy her a few outfits later.
I thought about this nonchalantly and spoke to Emma.
“Emma, do you still have any of the medicine we made last time?”
“Uh, yeah? What medicine?”
Today, Emma seemed unusually flustered.
Even her questioning voice felt incredibly awkward.
I tilted my head but figured I still had business to attend to.
It was better to address the matter first.
“The one I asked for before leaving for Perkus Manor. Just a few drops will make someone faint…”
“Oh, oh! That one?”
Only then did Emma dash to the medicine display as if she had just remembered.
Normally, I should have warned her about the dangers of that poison.
But before I could properly harbor such doubts, Emma handed me a small vial from the display.
“This is… but why?”
“Thank you, Emma.”
I forced a smile and thanked her.
“See you next time.”
Then I uncorked the vial and downed its contents.
With a thud, I collapsed, and my consciousness dimmed.
“Oh my… I-Ian? Ian?! What did you just do… oh, what should I do!”
Amidst Emma’s horrified response.
I wondered how long it had been after that.
When I regained consciousness, a familiar golden gaze greeted me.
A tired-eyed man with black hair.
“…What’s your scheme, brat.”
It was ‘me’ from the future.
