76. northbound (2)

“I think it’s fun too. It is good that you came.”

A small banquet hall in the Northern Grand Duke’s mansion.

Wearing a dress borrowed from Arlot, Koyono stood alone on the terrace.

I glanced back and saw Arlott and Schmitz talking friendly.

‘…And also, I can’t get in between the two.’

Koyono was feeling the wall before she knew it.

A wall of solid relations surrounding Arlott and Schmitz.

There was no room for Koyono to enter the relationship between the two.

Feeling the cold wind of the north, I looked up at the night sky.

“…I think it’s time to give up false hope.”

Unlike the academy, where the streetlights shine brightly, in the evening, the northern part is immersed in complete darkness.

Thanks to that, even the smallest fragments of starlight appeared clearly.

Koyono also carefully took out her heart.

She acknowledged that Schmitz was not the ‘guy’ of the ordeal.

There was no pattern in the center of his chest that we saw during the hospital visit.

It was the same when I saw it in the arena.

If you had overcome the 10th level of trials in the ordeal history, the pattern should have appeared on your chest.

Then it would be right for him to let go of Schmitz.

The fact that I keep feeling lingering for Schmitz… I thought it was funny and ugly.

She opened her mouth to exhort herself.

“Because they’re a good match… therefore… Give up… ”

Did the northern winter wind freeze her mouth?

Koyono was speechless until the end and kept her mouth shut.

The head shouted that he had to give up, that Arlot and Schmitz should be connected, but…

The words ‘I will give up’ never came out of my mouth.

“What are you doing here?”

“Shu, Lord Schmitz?”

Koyono felt something slung over her shoulder.

I turned around and saw Schmitz in a shirt.

He had taken off his suit jacket.

“It is still cold in the north. Come in before you catch a cold.”

Schmitz’s kind eyes turned to Koyono.

The look in his eyes, the jacket draped over his shoulder, and the kindness that comes from it.

I shook Koyono, who was barely holding on to his heart.

Koyono hated him for being nice to her.

If I had been meaner, I wouldn’t have had this kind of heart.

I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself…

With that thought in mind, Koyono glanced at Schmitz.

“…I’m about to be kicked out because you’re having so much fun with Prince Arlot.”

“hahahaha… say that again. The lady was tired and went to bed first. Would you like to go for a walk?”

Schmitz smiled and held out a hand to himself.

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Just like a prince escorting a princess.

“Well, if that’s the case… ”

The head cried out not to take his hand,

She unconsciously took Schmitz’s hand.

“I have a rose garden in my backyard. It’s quite quaint at night, so I’ll guide you.”

“Yes! I see.”

… In the end, Koyono bowed her head and headed for the rose garden.

* * *

“Oh oh… It must be spectacular.”

“Thank you for taking good care of me.”

The rose garden I visited at night shimmered in the moonlight.

Koyono’s eyes looking at it also shone, so it was good to bring him.

It was fortunate that the rose garden was well maintained than I thought.

‘Because he seemed deeply troubled.’

After taking the sleepy Arlott to his room, he found Koyono while looking for the missing Koyono.

The figure of Koyono gazing at the night sky with a melancholy expression on the terrace.

Everyone says that they become sentimental at dawn, but… It was a far cry from that kind of dawn sensibility.

It seemed like he had some serious concerns that he couldn’t tell anyone about.

It would be best for her to express her concerns on her own, but it is not an area that I can force.

It would be nice to just be with you and make you forget your worries.

“But, how could roses bloom in such a cold region?”

While walking around the rose garden together for a while, Koyono suddenly asked a question.

Her question was indeed valid.

Because it was virtually impossible for roses to bloom in this area.

“Would you like to look at this?”

“This… ?”

To answer her question, I bent down to reveal the magic tool hidden by the rose.

“It is a magic tool that warms up the surroundings. Hasn’t the cold gone since you came to the garden?”

“Come to think of it, yes… But, all of them are just expensive things.”

“The lady wanted to see the rose, so I asked His Excellency the Grand Duke. Time, money, effort… It was a job that required everything. hahahaha.”

“…”

I walked around the rose garden with Koyono and explained the magic tools one by one.

A magic tool that creates a greenhouse effect, a magic tool that magically treats roses so they don’t wither, a magic tool that creates a growth effect similar to pesticides, and so on…

As I explained it to her, it felt like the hard times were now left as good memories.

“And this… ”

“It’s done. Please stop.”

While I was explaining, Koyono cut me off.

When I turned around in surprise, the expression on my face was only slightly frightened.

“sorry. You talked about a story that only I know.”

“It’s not like that… “

Koyono let out a deep sigh.

With a strangely excited face, it is the appearance of expressing unspoken dissatisfaction with me.

“Whoa, that’s okay. You’ve been outside for a long time and your body has cooled down, so Schmitz-dono wants you to warm it up.”

“What’s warming you up? … uh? Now, hold on… ”

Koyono with a very angry expression…

She grabbed my hand and strode forward.

Unable to overcome the unspoken pressure, she stopped walking as she followed her in silence.

A small vacant lot with roses in the background.

She must have noticed the place that was used as a sparring ground, and she even prepared wooden weapons in the storage box in no time.

“Take out your sword.”

“…Didn’t you wear a dress? If it’s Dalian, it’s enough for tomorrow-“

“Come on, take out your sword. Otherwise, you may get hurt.”

Koyono took a long wooden sword and took a stance.

… It seemed like the night would last a long time.

Leaving that feeling behind, I grabbed the wooden daggers and—

At that moment, Koyono’s onslaught began.

* * *

“ha… ha… He, please stop.”

“Whoa… I’ll take a look at this.”

Koyono placed the wooden sword in its original place and the midnight sparring came to an end.

More serious than ever, he barely passed the heavy swordsmanship.

… There were times when her eyes were dizzy because she made violent movements while wearing a dress.

“I think I’ve grown quite a bit at this point.”

“… Are you talking about that?”

“Then, who else is here other than Lord Schmitz?”

The word ‘growth’ sent my gaze to her chest for no reason.

Fortunately, it was night, so I couldn’t see her very well, so she didn’t feel my gaze.

I quickly opened my mouth to reassure her who gave me a questioning look.

“Thanks to the sparring with Koyono.”

“I think you speak well… At this level, I can avoid the hardships during the final exams.”

As Koyono said, his actual fighting skills improved dramatically.

When he was in the mansion, his opponents were only assassins, so he had a lot to learn from fighting with Koyono, a skilled swordsman.

“Now, if you are relieved of your anger, go in. You sweat, so if you don’t wash yourself, you’ll really catch a cold.”

“…I have something to confess.”

Koyono twitched her fingers and opened her mouth.

“The girl… With Lord Schmitz and Lord Arlott, we have been able to hold on so far. Thank you for that.”

“It is natural. Aren’t they friends?”

“Even the girl is an irreplaceable friend with Duke Arlot, and I think the same is true with Duke Schmidt. however… By the way… ”

Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

… It didn’t look like it was just moonlight.

“Since then… You are starting to look like a man.”

“……”

Koyono, who concluded her words as if letting out an excited breath, lowered her head.

What is this?

I can’t understand what she’s saying.

‘You looked like a man… ‘

I tried to pretend to be expressionless, but I couldn’t help but be agitated.

Of course, from Koyono’s point of view, it’s good to have a good feeling because it solved the trauma to some extent, but

The quest hasn’t been broken yet…

I can’t turn my head

“But there are things that even girls notice. As a girl, I wouldn’t try to squeeze between Prince Schmidt and Prince Arlot… ”

“… ”

“So, please promise me one thing. The girl will help the relationship between Lord Arlot and Lord Schmidt, Lord Schmidt… Find the girl’s ‘guy’.”

“If he… ”

Even though I couldn’t keep my mind at her words pouring down like a waterfall, I heard one thing clearly.

Who is the ‘guy’ to Koyono?

“He… A nobleman whom the girl met when she was in the ordeal. And, his name was also ‘Schmitz’.”

“… ah.”

“Find the ‘guy’ you met in the ordeal. Then, girl, forget about Lord Schmitz and turn your heart to him.”

… i am that person

I wanted to spit out those words that filled my chin, but…

Looking at Koyono’s watery, desperate eyes, I couldn’t help myself.

Because I knew that the ‘guy’ she met was me.

In a way, it was like he had been ignoring the truth and kept deceiving her…

“…There are many things I don’t understand, but I understand for now.”

“Thank you… ”

In the end, I had no choice but to say yes.

Her hand, which held my hand tightly as she said thank you, was shaking lightly.

My heart was beating lightly fueled by guilt.