Chapter 10 - I - The Mahan school of swordsmanship

 

In the aftermath of her duel with Roland and his fellow guards, Lily was finally left in peace.  Though not in complete peace, because she had to agree in training them with her swordsmanship style.  It’s better than nothing at all.

 

But, what surprised Lily the most was the words that she said when she was fighting Roland…

 

Did she say those?

 

In all honesty, those weren’t her own.  It was taught to her by her brother, Arthur Mahan, who stood by her side even as her other family—including their father—was hating on her.  He became concerned when some boys were approaching her, trying to woo her because of her background as a royal princess (their grandfather was the current king at the time).  

 

And those lessons influenced Lily most of her life up till now.

 

A good man respects, gets to know the needs, and fights to protect his woman.

 

Not only did her brother taught her those, but he also proved that he could do it…that’s why he died protecting her.

 

And since then, no other man in her life could do it.  Even though she had been with the military for a long time and interacted with other members of the opposite gender among the nobility for quite a while…

 

Until that black-haired boy from another world fell from that window back at the Holy Palatial Gardens…

 

“Kuro…”,

 

Though at first unremarkable, Lily realized he had taken her brother’s place in her heart.  After all, she could still clearly remember the time when he ‘saved’ her from that rooftop, mistaking her for someone who’s about to jump.  He didn’t even hesitate to run after her, though it’s clear that they both didn’t know how to cast the flight spell.

 

“…”

 

And he also gained everyone’s trust by showing respect to the girls back at the palatial gardens, going as far as putting his life on the line to safeguard Maddie’s honor from that perverted duke who sneaked in.

 

“…”

 

Not only those, Kuro proved the extent of his concern for Maddie by fighting in the tourney, though he knew he’s not trained for battles.  And he even dared to punch the Imperial Prince on the face, when even Maddie’s father could do nothing but watch.

 

Kuro deserved Maddie’s love and devotion to him.

 

And she, as Maddie’s closest friend, let her feelings got the better of her.  To think that she considered banishing him to some place else…

 

“Maddie…” she blurted out, “What have I done…?”

 

Aside from being regretful, Lily felt something else emerge from the chaos of mixed feelings in her chest.  Slowly, but steadily, the emotion made its presence known to her…

 

Envy.

 

She knew she had no right to feel that way towards Maddie and Kuro since she made herself a villain to both of them.  But Lily couldn’t keep her envy from taking over herself.  That’s why she suggested banishing Kuro.  That’s why she did her best to spite Maddie, even though her friend had been extremely exhausted.  That’s why she said those painful things to them when they confronted her…

 

Lily could only cover her face in shame, even though no one else was in the bedroom she was currently staying.  Her mind kept on repeating the phrase ‘What have I done?’, and the feelings of guilt and embarrassment piled up in her chest.

 

But then, somewhere within her mind, another familiar voice came out…

 

“You know, if you’ve already done something bad, you won’t be able to take it back.  However, what’s important is that you learned from it, and you turn away from doing it again.”

 

Ah yes, she remembered it now.  Those were the words Kuro would say whenever she or Maddie were confronted with self-blame and self-pity.

 

“…”

 

Well, though it’s not that much, at least that took some weight off her chest for now.  Lily then got up from the bed and sat up, pondering.  Now that she finally accepted the reason that she fought Maddie was because she was envious and jealous about her and Kuro, what should she do next?

 

“Oh, I see, Miss Knight…so that’s what’s bothering you!”

 

Lily almost jumped from her bed when she heard Mariya’s voice beside her, “Did I say those thoughts out loud?”

 

“Indeed, you are.” Mariya yawned, “Since I heard you murmur, I thought you’re having a bad dream again, so I went to check you.  Turns out you’re wide awake and was in deep thought about your love problem.”

 

“Err…s-sorry for disturbing you.”

 

“No worries.” Mariya replied, “But what I worried about is what I just learned.  Is this Kuro your lover?”

 

Upon hearing that, Lily’s face grew even redder.  But she gained her senses fast enough to shake her head and let Mariya know it wasn’t so.

 

“I see.” Mariya seemed to understand her point, “But you love him, do you?”

 

“W-Wha—”

 

“You won’t be envious and jealous if you don’t.”

 

“Err…uh…well…I, uh, I’m just jealous because my friend already found the man who loves her dearly.”

 

“Oh…is that so?” Mariya had a smug expression on her face, “Jealous of your friend because of the reason you said, or jealous because the man loves you and also loves your friend?”

 

“Hey!  Kuro isn’t like that!” Lily protested, “He is true and faithful to the girl he loves!”

 

“Alright!  I see it now.” Mariya chuckled, “You love Kuro, even though you claim you are not!  In the first place, you won’t get so lively in defending him if his character won’t affect you as well.”

 

Lily fell incredibly silent.  She was surprised that this young girl beside her was so perceptive that she could read her thoughts well, just like Maddie.

 

“Alright, sorry for teasing you too much, Miss Knight!” Mariya apologized, “But you know, I don’t want to see my friends sad and hurt, so I’ll help you with that.”

 

“!!!”

 

“Well, you love this Kuro boy, right?”

 

Lily sheepishly nodded.

 

“And your friend already has him?”

 

She nodded again.

 

“Are they already married?”

 

Lily shook her head.

 

“Heh!” Mariya’s got a nasty smirk on her face, “Then snatch him away from your friend!”

 

“Wha—”,

 

Even Mariya was surprised at her suggestion.  She immediately halted her advice train and made an about-face, “Hold on, let me rephrase that.  I mean, compete with your friend on a level playing field.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, you talk as if they’re married already.  Tell you what, until they tied the knot, there’s always a possibility that you can come in between them and become the main girl of your story!  It’s not yet over for you; you just have to show Kuro your ‘good lady’ side.”

 

“Err…”

 

“Well, if you tell me now that you can always find another man…it’s true.  But you know, you only live once, so you  have to run after what makes you happy.”

 

“Honestly, I found Kuro first, not my friend.”

 

“Then all the more you should assert yourself!” Mariya raised her voice to emphasize her point, with matching gestures to ensure that Lily understood.

 

Lily then once again fell silent, pondering on the words that Mariya told her.  And then, after a few moments, enlightenment had finally come to her.  

 

She finally has her answer to her questions…

 

 

“Ah!  It’s about time the ships show up!”

 

A group of large cargo-laden galleys appeared at Calabria’s chief port town of Elbrei, a few miles away from Sekhtem.  The Imperial Flag proudly flew on one of the ships—the biggest one, and it was the first one that was given the priority on the otherwise crowded docks.

 

The Traveler and his companion, Benoit, waited for the sailors to bring down the drawbridges of the vessel.  However, much to their surprise, a girl with short, black hair and a strange dress was the first one to jump the ship, even before it was properly anchored.

 

“Are you the one they call the ‘Traveler’?” she asked Benoit, who was left speechless by what he had just witnessed.

 

“Pardon me, lady, but do I even know you?” he replied, preferring not to disclose the identity of his boss to this newcomer.

 

“Well, you’ll know about me soon.” the girl chuckled, “Anyway, I see I’ve committed an error.  So that man behind you with a permanent scowl on his face is the Traveler.”

 

Benoit’s eyes almost popped out from their sockets when he realized she had just read his mind.  And in all of Chersea, there was only one group of people who could do that:

 

“Are you a Saint, by any chance?”

 

The girl only smirked at Benoit and passed him by.  She went straight to the Traveler himself.

 

“Reading thoughts is bad, Your Holiness,” he told her.

 

“Well, this ability has been granted to us, so we’re an exception, Mister Traveler.” she countered, “The gods wouldn’t do so if it violates their rules.”

 

“Right…”,

 

“Ah, I wouldn’t ask for your name, Mister Traveler, don’t worry about that.” the girl then winked at him, “And if you don’t know who I am, I’m the Saint of the Ever-Burning Flame, Seirna.  My holy self will work with you from now on, so make sure you remember that.”

 

“I understand, Your Holiness!” the Traveler bowed in reverence.

 

“And Mister Traveler…”,

 

“?”

 

“I advise you not to harbor any ill-will against me.” Seirna suggested in a calm, yet overpowering demeanor, “Not only do I read minds, but I also mete out the cruelest punishment to those whose minds are full of evil.”

 

“I’ll make sure my men and I remember that, Your Holiness.”

 

“Very well.” Seirna then signaled to him, “Have your people offload the cargo and tell me of the situation around here.”