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Swordsman Tsurgis’s Visit to Dalistia

(Part 1)

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*****

The day after Zumiano apologized to Teresalo and Lord Seifahrt.

Wellmy had arrived at the Abacam estate, Lady Dalistia’s residence, accompanied by Lord Tsurgis, who was to remain by her side as a guard for the time being.

Lord Schizolda was currently unable to assist his father, the Chancellor, as he had before. Unless summoned for specific duties, he was reportedly staying at the Langley ducal estate, occupying himself with the management of their lands. As for Zumiano, Eides had said that morning, 「Lend him to me for a while,」 so Wellmy had ordered him to 「follow Eides’s commands for the entire day.」

Thus, today’s party consisted of three: Wellmy, Lord Tsurgis, and Noor, a woman currently serving as Wellmy’s exclusive personal maid at the House of Marquis Ormirage.

Noor was supposedly the daughter of some viscount, but she refused to disclose her family name or her age. Wellmy guessed she was in her mid-twenties, but she was a mysterious person who occasionally looked like a woman much older or, conversely, like a teenage girl. Despite having reasonably fine features, she left a faint impression and always wore a pleasant smile.

「We are almost there, my lady.」

「Indeed.」

At their brief exchange, Lord Tsurgis’s shoulders gave a small, sharp tremor.

The House of Abacam was one of the most prominent families in the country, and their estate was massive; even after passing through the gates, the gardens were so vast that the carriage had to travel for some time. Tsurgis looked visibly restless as he stared blankly at the scenery flowing past the window.

「Are you nervous, Lord Tsurgis?」

「...No.」

Wellmy took a moment to look at him again as he gave his short reply. He was a young man with red hair and a virile countenance, and the sword strapped to his waist looked as if it were a natural extension of his body.

While not exceptionally handsome, his brownish-red eyes possessed a rare and striking hue.

According to Eides, while Tsurgis lacked a preternatural sense for either magic or swordsmanship individually, the level of mastery he showed in combining them—his specialized sword styles and physical combat techniques—was highly respectable. His mana capacity was reasonably high, and he was quite intelligent. In fact, based on Wellmy’s observations and their few brief conversations, he was attentive and moved instinctively to assist her exactly when needed.

(I heard he suffers because he feels unacknowledged by his father.)

Wellmy felt he was a far more capable individual than the reputation of a "fool" he had earned at that evening party would suggest.

『The Legion Commander is a man of raw, martial might who entered and won swordsmanship tournaments at that age. He likely views Tsurgis’s tactful, adroit way of fighting as mere parlor tricks and treats him harshly because of it.』

Eides had said as much with a touch of irony.

『Those who are truly superior often fail to fathom the feelings of those without power. Just as those without power cannot understand a singular genius.』

『...Are you like that too, Eides?』

At Wellmy’s question, he had looked momentarily caught off guard. Then, with a gentle smile, he shook his head.

『It is true that the power I was born with is superior to most. But that is different from a natural-born gift like Zumiano’s, where he understands the full breadth of how to use his power. ...The power I have is something I seized so that I would never again lose what is precious to me, after the crushing failure of losing my mother and sister.』

(The loss of his stepmother and stepsister to cursed magic tools.)

Surely, he continued to regret that deeply.

『I was insincere in my youth. By the time I was old enough to understand, I viewed the pressure of being the heir and my position within the house as nothing but a nuisance. ...I believed that I was the one who drove my kind stepmother and stepsister to become cold toward me.』

(If he became someone unfit to be the heir...)

『I thought, in my shallowness, that I could return the future and the headship of the house that I had taken from my sister.』

If he had been diligent from the start, performing his duties as heir and facing them honestly, he might have noticed the strangeness in their cooling attitudes.

『The result is exactly as you know. —Don't cry, Wellmy.』

『It wasn't your fault, Eides. It was the fault of the people who planted those cursed tools. You were still just a child back then, weren't you?』

The weight of what was lost due to a single misunderstanding. It had undoubtedly left a deep scar on Eides’s heart. Perhaps the reason he wore a glove on his scarred left hand to keep it hidden was because the sight of it still brought back the memory of those wounds.

『Now, I have you. I shall live so that I never lose anything again. ...Wellmy, you managed to get through without losing what was truly important, didn't you? I am grateful that I could be of help in that regard.』

The image of Eides embracing her as he said those words overlapped with the man before her—Lord Tsurgis—who looked uncomfortable under Wellmy’s gaze.

「It would be for the best if you were more honest with yourself.」

(It is still within the realm of being able to start over.)

Wellmy spoke, viewing Lord Tsurgis in that light.

「...What do you mean by that?」

「If you do nothing but fear loss and injury, you will find you’ve lost what is truly precious before you even realize it. It is better to have the courage to speak your true heart while things can still be mended; you will have fewer regrets that way.」

Tsurgis was said to be the one among them who had suffered the most mental strain because of Zumiano. However, aside from a temporary clouding of his memory, there were apparently no lasting effects.

"That guy is stubborn, you see," Zumiano had laughed.

『Tsurgis won't budge once he's decided on something. It’s just his nature. And since he gets tunnel vision, well... if I hadn't stepped in, he might have taken a much more irreversible path.』

After evaluating Lord Tsurgis like that, he had given a sharp wink.

(Making Lady Dalistia into Leo’s queen.)

For the sake of that conclusion he desired, he might have taken a more direct and irreversible action... like murder. He would sacrifice himself or anyone else to save the one he held feelings for.

Wellmy understood that feeling almost painfully well. After all, she had done the same thing. Therefore, even if the target of his actions had been herself—playing the part of Leo’s primary fiancée candidate—she could not blame him.

Wellmy’s own schemes and Tsurgis’s desires had both ended in failure. Thus, the possibility of things turning out that way again in the future was not zero.

『Tsurgis is likely regretting the fact that Schizolda consulted me, and he's regretting his own role in letting it happen. Much more deeply than you might think. That’s why, coming from Myy—the person he inconvenienced and the one who stopped him—I think your words will reach him.』

(Tsurgis himself never once told me his feelings or asked for help.)

"Patient," "stubborn," and a "talentless hard worker." Such evaluations were certainly neither glamorous nor brilliant. Lord Tsurgis must have felt a heavy pressure from his great father. Every word he heard likely felt like a rejection of his very being.

As if he were not enough.

However, looking at how Lord Tsurgis was treated now, Legion Commander Nete clearly possessed his own form of affection. Much like Wellmy’s mother, Isabella, had loved her—even if it was in the twisted form of giving her the things that should have belonged to her older sister.

「What did your father say to you?」

At Wellmy’s question, Lord Tsurgis lowered his eyes.

「...He said, 'Never stray from the path again. There will not be a next time.'」

Tsurgis’s expression did not change as he spoke, but a color of resignation was visible in the depths of his eyes and his stiff voice. He likely believed he had truly disappointed his father.

However...

「So, he has forgiven your failure once.」

When Wellmy said this, Tsurgis’s eyes widened as if she had said something completely unexpected.

「Is that not so? To say there is no next time implies as much.」

He would forgive the first time. The meaning of things changes depending on how one perceives them.

「Everyone who knows you says you are 'patient.' They say that while you lose sight of your surroundings when focused on one thing, you are a person who works hard without bending or faltering. They say that though you do not speak your own opinions, you are someone who can empathize with the pain of others.」

She had heard that when Zumiano had fallen from the cliff and nearly died, Tsurgis had visited every single day until he woke up, waiting silently by his side along with Lord Zumiano's fiancée, Lady Ninina.

When Lord Schizolda was being crushed by the immense workload of studies forced upon him by his father, the Chancellor, Tsurgis had continued to study the same material despite having no need for it, encouraging him by saying, 『There are many things I cannot understand, so you are amazing for being able to grasp them properly.』

「And with the power you gained at the end of such efforts, you helped me.」

The magic of "Shadow Lurk" was apparently not something easily mastered. Furthermore, for someone destined to live by the sword and who might neglect their magical training, it was not something that could be maintained for a long period even if learned.

Yet Tsurgis had exercised it for both himself and Lord Schizolda, maintaining it until the very last second before Wellmy made contact with Zumiano.

「I heard this from Eides. Apparently, your father praised you when he heard of it.」

『It seems he has finally mastered his own way of fighting. Shall I grant him the title of "Shadow Knight"?』 —he had said.

As Wellmy told him this with a smile, Tsurgis looked stunned.

「My father... said such a thing...?」

「People cannot be the same as others. Just as it is impossible for me to become like Eides or my sister. ...Just as Lady Dalistia, unlike my sister, was unable to capture Leo’s heart.」

And just as Lord Tsurgis could not become like his father.

「But even if you are not the same, there are people who look at you and acknowledge you for who you are.」

Just as Eides had found Wellmy. Just as Leo had found her sister. And just as Legion Commander Nete had properly acknowledged Lord Tsurgis’s hard work.

Wellmy spoke while looking straight at him as he caught his breath. The carriage came to a stop.

「I do not know how Lady Dalistia will respond. However... why not try telling her that you were watching her hard work, and that you have loved her from the shadows?」

Lord Tsurgis suddenly looked as if he were on the verge of tears. But he did not let them fall; he squeezed his fists, returned to his original expression, and spoke.

「...Thank you for your guidance.」

With that, he bowed his head.

*****

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