56 – promise

Zion returned to her abode.

A dark living room with the lights off. The only furniture is a table and a chair. The candle that had been lit before leaving had long since died.

It was one of the most luxurious mansions in Rigbed, but no one greeted her.

While her teacher was taking the entrance exam, something urgent happened and he left a letter and left for the saint.

When the teacher was away, I was always alone. It’s been a long time since I got used to the silence. There was no family to greet her in the first place, and no friends to exchange letters with because of her lack of sociability.

It is not difficult to swallow loneliness alone. Because she has been growing up alone since childhood.

During the days of begging for food in the slums, he trained and trained again and again.

Zion sat down in front of the fireplace and made a fire. Then I took out the rye bread I bought on the street today.

The paper was rolled up and wrapped, but the rainwater had seeped into the inside and it was damp.

I didn’t bring it to enjoy the taste anyway, so I didn’t care too much.

Like that, Shion took a bite of the bread while appreciating the flames in the fireplace.

The rest of the time after practicing the sword was spent sitting like this in silence and solitude.

Rather than meaningless stimulation and sympathy, this was better.

So, there will be no change in daily life.

At least until the entrance ceremony.

***

Employees bring more luggage.

In one corner of the wagon, the luggage goes up one by one. Herbs were piled up on one side of the seat, so I only smelled the smell of grass all the way around.

All the things I wrote down on the list were finally filled. It was thanks to Ella for providing ample amounts of expensive or rare items.

Lyria rubbed her eyes with her messy hair in front of the carriage and yawned.

After getting ready, I looked at the gate.

Ella came to meet us even in the early hours of the morning.

I went over to her to say goodbye.

“I’ll just go. I owe a lot in many ways.”

“yes. Your master will be busy for a while now. If you need help and she’s not there, come find me.”

“I will definitely remember it.”

“Please tell Sylverine to reply to her letters.”

“… All right.”

I bowed my head to Ella and climbed into the carriage.

The carriage was full of luggage, so I had to sit shoulder to shoulder with Lyria. The wagon pulled out of the rig bed at a slow pace because the road surface was wet.

Lilia nodded her head for about an hour before finally leaning her head on my shoulder and falling into a deep sleep.

It wasn’t until noon that the carriage arrived at the mansion.

Lyria got off the carriage and stretched out.

The mansion was usually quiet, but today it feels even more serene.

It seems that all the customers who came because of bad things have already left, but the subdued atmosphere seemed to remain.

I moved the luggage to the manufacturing room with the employees and finished sorting so that I could start production right away.

After tidying up, I headed to the master room to see Silverine.

I knocked on her door, but there was no response. When I asked the butler, Silverin said that he had been out for a while and would not be back until evening.

In my spare time, I took Lillia to the production room and immediately started converting the potion. I feel a little sorry for Lilia, but I didn’t want to delay even a day.

I copied only the parts I needed from Zverev’s recipe and handed it to Lilia.

For this work, I had to be very careful because it was a material and manufacturing method that even Lyria had never seen before.

Because of the alchemy codes and refinement techniques he had never seen before, he held on to the alchemy book and sweated for a while.

Time passed quickly and it was evening time.

I thought I’d be able to meet Silverine by then, but she didn’t come to dinner.

I asked the butler again.

“What about the teacher?”

“You seem to have no idea. And… He told me not to let anyone come into the room.”

When did you return to the mansion? weird. It’s not like the usual Silverine.

“Can’t I come too?”

“You didn’t say anything about that part.”

No one told me not to come, so I must be included. What the hell happened that caused Sylverine to have such a change of heart?

Still, whenever I went somewhere, he always greeted me and said hello.

After the meal, I went back to studying potion making and alchemy.

Lyria returned early and remained alone in the manufacturing room until the moon rose. It was hard to concentrate because Sylverin was worried all the time.

At midnight, I came out to the courtyard to warm up for a while.

I raised my head and looked up at where the master room was located.

A dim light was seeping through the window.

Is Silverin still awake?

I stared at the window for a long time, then made up my mind and entered the mansion with great strides.

I climbed the stairs and stood in front of Silverin’s door.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

smart

I can’t hear anything.

“It’s me, teacher.”

After a while, Silverin’s voice is heard.

“… come in.”

When I opened the door and entered the room, I saw Silverine combing her hair in front of a mirror in her see-through nightgown.

“What is it?”

“I think I didn’t even say hello properly after I left.”

Silverin laughs weakly.

“Are you coming now?”

“…Sir, what happened?”

“Why do I keep bothering you? Is that why you came?”

don’t you want to talk

Maybe my presence isn’t helping.

“Teacher, are you annoying me… ?”

“no… .”

Silverin took a moment to catch her breath and said.

“It’s extraordinary.”

“… .”

“I’m going to sleep now. I feel tired.”

Silverin opens the chest of drawers, takes off the rings and earrings, and puts them all in.

Only the necklace remained on the neck.

“I’ll just go in.”

As I said hello and turned around to leave, the door suddenly slammed shut.

“No, you are here too.”

Silverin had closed it with magic.

For a moment, a thousand thoughts run through my head.

She staggers to the bed and gets under the covers.

Lay down looking to the side and tap the corner with your hand.

“Come on.”

I slowly approached Silverin.

Then he sat down on the floor next to the bed, eye level with her.

Their faces were close enough that her breath could touch them. Looking at it like this, my cheeks are slightly red, and I can feel the scent of wine in my exhalation.

There was a slight intoxication in Silverin’s eyes.

Oh my God, Sylverine is drinking.

“Yes, sit like that.”

“Yes.”

“What did you do today?”

“I made a potion.”

“Didn’t Ella bully you?”

Even though I was bullied, I didn’t seem to be in a good mood, but I didn’t think it was okay to bother me by saying strange things.

“He treated me very well. They also brought expensive ingredients separately.”

“… I’m glad.”

It’s the first time I’ve seen him look so weak. I don’t feel comfortable just watching.

Silverin stared at my face with helpless eyes before opening her mouth.

“My disciple… .”

“Yes. Please speak.”

Silverin’s hand slowly approached like a caterpillar crawling.

“I can’t sleep, so… Stay here until I fall asleep.”

Silverin’s eyes blink slowly. Even if he said that, his face looked like he would fall asleep any minute.

“Yes, I will be here.”

Silverin’s right hand slowly squeezed into my left hand that was placed on the edge of the bed.

Slowly but forcefully, her fingers slipped between mine.

“… .”

A warm and soft touch is transmitted. she said with a smile on her face.

“Promise. I won’t leave until I fall asleep first… .”

“Yes.”

“Speak with your mouth.”

“…I won’t leave until you go to sleep first.”

“again… .”

“I won’t leave until you go to sleep first.”

“yes… great job… disciple… .”

Silverin’s voice gradually faded.

“Otherwise… Otherwise… I… Take me to Wiesel… in the dungeon… … .”

“Yes?”

Silverin murmured at the end of her words and then closed her eyes. Not long after, I fell into a deep sleep with calm and even breathing.

***

Silverin woke up blinded by the pale morning sun.

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a numb sensation passing through my fingers.

“… .”

Damian was asleep on the edge of the bed. Without letting go of the hand she held last night.

Silverin remembered what she had said the night before. I was a little drunk, but I remembered most of it.

Having said that, I didn’t think I’d be guarding her all night like this… .

I knew that Damian had a tendency to act recklessly, but I didn’t expect it to manifest in this way.

“You really are stupid… .”

I’m definitely a guy There were only a few people in the world who embarrassed Sylverine so much.

She hurriedly grabbed Damian’s arms and pulled him onto the bed.

He laid him down next to him and hugged him tightly under the blanket.

Silverine warmed Damian’s body, which had been cold overnight, with her own body heat.

It’s stupid, so it feels even cuter.

After a few minutes of warming Damian up, she got out of bed first.

She stood in front of the dressing table, gently combing her messy hair with her hand.

Then, I blankly looked in the mirror and thought for a while.

As if something came to mind out of nowhere, I opened a box containing red-toned cosmetics.

After that, he dabbed it with his little finger and applied it thickly to his lips.

After closing her mouth several times in front of the mirror, the defendant looked back at the bed.

Damian was in a deep sleep, unaware of the world.

A small smile appeared on Silverin’s face as she looked at him.