Sigrid

“Your tea-making skills could use a bit more work though.”

“I’ll keep practicing.”

“Still, it’s much better. Mm, this is delicious.”

As Marie-Chez spoke while eating the trifle, Sigrid inwardly sighed with relief. Seria, who was watching from inside, felt the same. She was relieved and then quickly became proud.

It meant her cooking skills were appreciated even by noble ladies. Arkana, who had also been observing the atmosphere, felt relieved as well.

‘Does she have a talent for cooking?’

If Seria wanted, should he send her somewhere to learn cooking?

Arkana found himself worrying about his younger sister’s future as an older brother.

Sigrid managed to fulfill her duties as a hostess reasonably well. Marie-Chez gave her a score of 70 out of 100, and Lowengrin evaluated it as “decent.”

‘How generous!’

‘I got a good score,’ Sigrid rejoiced. Marie-Chez frowned at those words and said:

“Shouldn’t you aim higher?”

But Sigrid shook her head.

“No, this means I’m doing okay, right?”

Lowengrin laughed, saying “Oh my.”

“Is it just swordsmanship where you’re not satisfied with being average?”

“One can’t excel at everything.”

Time is a precious and limited asset, and it’s already hard to spend enough time on what one likes and enjoys. She’d like to pour all her time into swordsmanship, but lately, she’s been trying to broaden her horizons.

“It’s fine as long as I’m not failing.”

She’s not clever enough to get A’s in everything. Marie-Chez frowned again at those words, then laughed, “Hmm—”

“Then you’ll never be able to beat me in this, Sig?”

“That’s just how it is.”

Sigrid nodded. Even if she started studying hard about clothes, accessories, and color sense from now on, she wouldn’t suddenly become as good as Marie-Chez.

“But Marie-Chez will never be able to beat me with a sword either.”

Sigrid couldn’t help but add. Marie-Chez laughed out loud. Her clear laughter echoed through the summer garden.

“I don’t plan on trying to beat a Master!”

“I’m not at the level to be called a Master. ‘Aura user’ seems more fitting.”

Sigrid shook her head. Master, indeed. Such a title feels awkward. Lowengrin said:

“Why not? Aura users are rare. They’re people who have reached a certain level, and you’re one of them, Siri. I don’t think the title ‘Master’ is too much. Besides, you are a Master! You’ve taught the four of us~”

“Oh my? Come to think of it, that’s true. Should I start calling Siri ‘Master’ now too?”

“Huh? That’s—”

“Master.”

“Master Ankertna.”

As the two alternately spoke, Sigrid’s face turned red. Marie-Chez covered her mouth with her fan, saying “Oh my?”

“Sigrid’s face is red.”

“That’s—!”

As they pointed it out, Sigrid’s face burned even brighter. Lowengrin laughed.

“Siri, are you weak to this kind of praise? I’ll have to make sure to call you this from now on. Master Ankertna.”

“Lowengrin!”

As Sigrid protested, the two burst into laughter. Sigrid covered both her cheeks with her hands to cool them and said:

“It’s somehow embarrassing when you call me that.”

“Alright, alright.”

Marie-Chez tried to hold back her laughter. It was unexpected that the seemingly stoic Sig was weak to praise. She had thought Sigrid would just say “Of course” and move on even if complimented. Marie-Chez unfurled her fan with a flourish, fanning herself as she looked up.

“Ah— That cloud, doesn’t it look just like a feather ornament?”

At those words, both Sigrid and Lowengrin looked up. A slightly curved cloud floated in the bright blue summer sky. Sigrid tilted her head and said:

“It looks more like a cutlass to me.”

When she mentioned the name of the slightly curved sword mainly used on ships, Marie-Chez pouted.

“How unromantic.”

“It looks more like a croissant to me.”

At Lowengrin’s words, Marie-Chez said:

“What? Mine is the prettiest. Let’s call it the feather ornament cloud. Things like cutlass cloud or croissant cloud sound too childish.”

“If that’s Marie’s opinion.”

Lowengrin replied as she popped a cream-topped strawberry into her mouth.

The chatter continued for quite some time, until a cool breeze began to blow through the garden as the sun started to set. The wind carried the sweet scent of roses, and long shadows stretched across the ground.

The three of them continued talking until the sun had completely set before ending their gathering.

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

On the day the last summer rose fell, Arkana said he should be leaving soon. Sigrid was shocked but nodded with a resolute face.

“Okay, take care.”

“I’ll try to come back as soon as possible. Though I’m not sure what those old geezers will say.”

At Arkana’s words, Sigrid shook her head.

“No, come back safely, even if it takes time. That’s what’s important.”

Sigrid was worried about sending him to the desert.

‘If he could use magic, I wouldn’t be this worried.’

Without his magic, he was no different from an ordinary person. And a desert journey would be no easy task. As if seeing through Sigrid’s concerns, Arkana said:

“I should be able to find the Ice Tower quickly, so I won’t be wandering the desert.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Arkana nodded.

Thinking ‘If I leave early, I can return early,’ Arkana departed exactly one week after mentioning it.

As they saw Arkana off, Seria shed tears.

“You’ll definitely, definitely come back, right?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t go anywhere without Seria.”

Arkana comforted his younger sister. Seria bit her lip anxiously.

“But, but…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

Seria nodded at his reassuring words. Arkana said to Sigrid:

“Please look after Seria while I’m gone.”

“Leave it to me.”

“I’ll protect her with my life,” Sigrid said, raising her chin.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Arkana said with a sigh, reaching out to tuck Sigrid’s hair behind her ear. Sigrid said “Ah,” tucking her hair back once more, and said:

“We’ll be waiting no matter when you return, so take care.”

At those words, Arkana smiled.

“Alright, I’ll be back.”

“Yes.”

The two of them saw him off until he boarded the public carriage and left. Seria, wiping her tears and nose with a handkerchief, said:

“He’ll be back soon, right?”

“Probably. But since you never know with travel, it’s better to wait patiently.”

“That’s true, but…”

Seria replied and then felt embarrassed. She wasn’t a child anymore, yet she was crying because her brother was leaving. She wiped her face vigorously with the handkerchief again and blew her nose loudly.

This Seria’s strength is her spirited nature!

“Sigrid, I’ll work hard!”

“Yes, and if there’s anything you want, let me know. I’ll actively support whatever you want to do.”

“Yes!”

Seeing Seria’s face, which resembled Arkana’s, Sigrid unconsciously smiled.

‘Siblings are nice, aren’t they?’

The Arkana siblings look so alike with their red hair and green eyes that it’s hard not to recognize them.

‘Oh right, but there are cases like Morris too… Is it better not to have any?’

Sigrid pondered for a moment.

‘Hmm— But I’m fine because I have my friends.’

Having neatly resolved her concerns, Sigrid gently pushed Seria’s back to guide her into the mansion. As she did so, she glanced back slightly. The carriage had already turned the corner and was out of sight.

‘Come back soon.’

She mouthed the words she couldn’t say out loud because it seemed too childish, then entered the mansion herself.

“There’s really no need for you to come all the way here.”

Sigrid said as she spread her arms following the tailor’s instructions. Behind her, Beramund, sitting backwards on a chair with his arms resting on the backrest, laughed.

“What’s the problem? I’m here to make sure you’re not being overcharged. Supervision, supervision.”

“Overcharged? I can’t overlook that comment.”

The middle-aged man measuring her size with a tape measure frowned, and Beramund shrugged.

“Of course, I trust you, sir.”

“I’ve been supplying uniforms to the Imperial Guard for 30 years now. Not once have I overcharged.”

The tailor said firmly and raised his tape measure again.

‘Black with red lines…’

Sigrid stared blankly at the fabric laid out.

‘I’ll be wearing this again.’

The only difference is the insignia on the arm.

‘But I didn’t have my uniform made here last time.’

Sigrid narrowed her eyes and seriously examined the fabric. This sheen, this texture, it’s certainly expensive cloth. And instead of gold-plated buttons like before, these are real gold buttons.

Why such extravagance, wouldn’t gold-plated be enough?

‘Though the buttons on my old uniform did tarnish.’

Thinking about it now, since it wasn’t made here but somewhere else, the design was slightly different too. Even the 6th Imperial Guard Captain had given her a strange look.

‘But I wanted to have it made somewhere cheaper. I didn’t think there was any need to spend so much on a uniform.’

No, to be honest, she didn’t spend money on anything at all.

The only thing she had ever spent money on was her horse. Echo was like another family member to her. Since buying a horse was expensive, she had bought him as a foal and trained him herself.

Even when she was splitting a 5 kerb loaf of bread into two meals, she never skimped on Echo’s horseshoes. Not that she spent money recklessly either.

Now Echo was nicely plump from oats and beans.

‘Me too.’

She had gained more weight than before. Her muscle strength and reflexes had improved significantly as well.

‘Eating well really was important.’

Reflecting on her past diet, Sigrid slightly raised her heels.

‘I wonder if I’ll grow taller.’

“Should I buy you some heels?”

Beramund asked, pressing down on her head. Sigrid frowned.

“I’d respect anyone who could duel wearing those.”

“Haha. Yeah, that’s true. Ah, but I do know one guy who can.”

“What?”

Sigrid turned around in surprise, and Beramund said with a subtle expression:

“Kasus Rian.”

“The Wanderer Kasus Rian?”

She asked in surprise, and he nodded.

“You’ve never seen him, right?”

“No, never. I’ve only heard stories.”

A wandering knight belonging to no one.

A man who roams the entire continent, honing his sword skills and helping those in need.

But to the former Sigrid, a knight without affiliation was no different from an unleashed mad dog or a vagrant. Even now, a slight trace of that thought remained, so her impression of Kasus was not good.

‘Come to think of it, I’m judging someone I’ve never even met again. I should stop.’

“What kind of person is he?”

“An irritating bastard.”

Beramund said with a grin, making Sigrid wonder if she had heard wrong.

“Pardon?”

“A creepy guy.”

“Are you… talking about Lord Rian?”

“That’s right.”

“Have you met him?”

“A few times.”

“I see.”

Why such a negative evaluation?

Sigrid adjusted her assessment of Kasus Rian downward. As she did so, she asked the question she was most curious about.

“How skilled is he with a sword?”

“He’s strong.”

Beramund’s evaluation was simple. However, his brief expression said much more, so Sigrid put a star next to Kasus Rian’s name.

One to watch out for.

“Well— You probably won’t have much occasion to meet him anyway.”

Beramund said, then gently pushed Sigrid’s shoulder forward and continued:

“Well, now that we’ve got your uniform sorted, shall we move on to the next stop?”

“Next stop?”

She asked, puzzled, and Beramund said with a grin:

“The ice cream shop.”

“Oh.”

The sound escaped her involuntarily.

In truth, it was a bit late in the season for ice cream. As summer was transitioning into autumn, even the midday heat wasn’t that intense anymore.

“It’s the late summer heat.”

Beramund added. Sigrid hesitated, then nodded. In fact, she had never been to an ice cream shop before. She had only eaten ice cream that Lowengrin or Marie-Chez had bought and brought.

‘It was delicious.’

There could be no other food like it in the world. That sweet softness that melts in your mouth as soon as you put it in. It was incomparable to regular ice.

‘But it must be expensive.’

There was no need to ask the price. It would be expensive. Moreover, she didn’t know how to order, so the ice cream shop was an unknown world to her.