“Are you really alright not going?”

   “Yes, I’m fine.”

   I had learned what I needed to learn.

   Besides, going back now… wouldn’t be very dramatic.

   I did consider the Sword Saint to be my mentor, and he had suggested I come see him again. Still, visiting the very next day felt a bit… forced.

   And frankly, I’d had enough of climbing mountains. I didn’t want to go up another one anytime soon.

   “...I suppose you deserve a break,” Alice said, nodding. It seemed the rest of the group understood my reasoning as well.

   Yeah, I was feeling a bit worn out. Before I learned meditation, I would have tried to push myself to go, resetting time just to absorb everything I could. But now… I’d just returned that morning after tearing through the enemy’s stronghold.

   “They’ll probably come down by tomorrow,” someone said.

   Just imagining all of them crowding into that little cabin made me feel claustrophobic.

   “I’ll be here waiting,” I replied, watching as the others exchanged glances and then looked back at me.

   “Alright then.”

   Though they seemed a bit disappointed about not hearing the “sister” story right away, it was something that could wait until they returned.

   “We’ll be back soon, Sister!” Claire called out, waving her hand enthusiastically. The others still seemed a bit baffled by Claire’s casual address. The only one who looked unaffected was Leo, probably because he already knew. Given how close they were, it wasn’t surprising.

   "..."

   I quietly watched as they climbed into the large carriage.

   Only when the carriage was completely out of sight did I turn around.

   *

   “Hey there, young lady!”

   Maybe wandering around town instead of going straight back to my room was a mistake.

   I’d gotten tangled up with a strange man almost immediately.

   “Over here! There’s room, why don’t you join me?”

   The man called out loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. Most northerners were reserved, and they didn’t care much for flamboyant men. Naturally, people were giving him disapproving looks, but he didn’t seem to notice.

   The man had striking red hair, impossible to miss, and had propped his feet up on an extra chair in front of him. The café owner was glaring at him, frowning in clear disapproval.

   But no one was forcing him out. Perhaps it was because his clothes looked so expensive. He had the air of a high-ranking noble, which likely kept people from meddling.

   Around here, any noble would almost certainly be a guest of the Winterfield family or a soldier.

   But this man was neither a noble nor a guest, and he was certainly no soldier.

   He was royalty, not that anyone had summoned him, and his personality didn’t exactly suit military life.

   "..."

   Feeling a slight headache coming on, I approached Lucas.

   When he saw me, Lucas grinned broadly, dropping his feet from the chair and dusting it off, gesturing for me to sit. I ignored his invitation and pulled over a different chair, sitting down silently.

   Lucas didn’t seem bothered by my response.

   “How’s the trip been, little sister?”

   “...It was enjoyable until just now.”

   “Saying it like that makes it sound like I ruined your fun.”

   "..."

   He knew exactly what he was doing.

   It seemed Lucas had no illusions about whether I’d be happy to see him. He kept that smile on his face, but he knew.

   What could be the reason for showing up so openly now? Because Jennifer was away from Winterfield? Because Alice had left for a short time?

   But there were students milling about nearby. With his flaming red hair, Lucas stood out, and even if my appearance wasn’t especially eye-catching, it wasn’t plain enough to go unnoticed.

   The Imperial Princess, seated alone in a café with an unknown handsome man.

   Well, any rumors would probably die down quickly. If high-ranking nobles recognized Lucas, and learned our identities, this scene would come across as anything but harmless gossip.

   “How long have you been tailing me?”

   “You’re asking as if you don’t know.”

   I really didn’t.

   ...Though I could understand his reaction. If he had been following me the whole time, he would have seen me fighting on the battlefield.

   If I were truly the kind of person who could wage such inhuman battles, it would make sense for him to assume I’d noticed him.

   “Always, I presume.”

   “Exactly.”

   He responded casually to my words, unfazed. He hadn’t touched the coffee in front of him. It seemed he had only settled in after confirming the kids’ departure, as the coffee was still steaming.

   ...So he’d been following me the entire time?

   “Oh, not 24/7, though. When you’re in your room, it’s hard to track you, so I didn’t bother. Plus, I had to report back to His Majesty, and I still need to eat, sleep, and, well… take care of things.”

   I’d assumed as much.

   But that meant no one else had been assigned to keep watch in shifts.

   “And if I’d planted something in your room, you would’ve found it by now.”

   I studied his face, trying to detect any hint of deception… If he were lying, it might be safer to reset and clear out everything in the room.

   But I didn’t have the power to see through every lie just by looking at his face. Without any psychic abilities or enhanced perception, my eyes were just like any other person’s.

   So, I decided to take his words at face value and simply stay alert moving forward.

   ...Though I’d still go back to check everything in my room.

   “Then, why did you choose to reveal yourself to me now?”

   If he had overheard my conversation with Jennifer, he would have known that following my friends would have been more productive. It was a chance to meet the Sword Saint, after all, whom Lucas had been eager to seek out.

   Even in the original story, Lucas had postponed meeting the Sword Saint until he felt ready to prove his strength, so deviating from the original plot wouldn’t change much.

   “...Who knows?”

   Lucas stared blankly at the sky. The crystal-clear blue was almost chilling, without a cloud in sight. In the capital, smoke filled the air, making it rare to see such a blue sky, even near the Academy. Though there were steam engines here as well, they didn’t produce quite as much pollution.

   “I just had some things I wanted to ask.”

   “What do you want to know?”

   “...You.”

   Even after calling me over, Lucas simply stared at me.

   “...Yes?”

   Feeling uneasy under his lingering gaze, I asked, to which he grinned mischievously.

   “Fight me sometime.”

   “...Excuse me?”

   “For real. Life on the line.”

   "..."

   I tried not to let my face betray my surprise. I think I managed to keep it under control—my expression didn’t shift much.

   “Hm.”

   Lucas seemed satisfied, his lips curling into a smile.

   “I’m beginning to understand how Alice reads your expressions. Impressive.”

   Before I could respond, Lucas stood up.

   Walking over to me, he gave my shoulder a few light pats, then walked away.

   "..."

   Uh…

   What just happened?

   I sat there for a moment, processing what had just occurred, and finally came to a conclusion.

   So, after seeing me fight, he thinks facing me would be more thrilling than challenging the Sword Saint?

   "..."

   Am I doomed?

   *

   I didn’t feel a trace of bloodlust.

   But the moment Lucas spoke those words, a chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat formed on my back.

   It was precisely because I felt nothing that I sensed it so strongly.

   Even as he watched Sylvia, firing relentlessly on the battlefield and single-handedly taking down a bunker, Lucas sensed no bloodlust from her.

   Was this the state of “mirror-like calm” he’d heard of? Or was she simply so superior that her opponents felt insignificant?

   ...No, it was something else entirely.

   More like…

   An attitude that said, “This is simply how things are.”

   A sense of inevitability, as if things were unfolding as they should.

   Sylvia’s demeanor in battle exuded that.

   And so, Lucas couldn’t even picture himself defeating her.

   However…

   “A mountain to conquer.”

   If he could somehow surpass Sylvia…

   Wouldn’t that mean he could conquer the future itself?

   A feeling far stronger than any he’d experienced before, even more intense than when he’d first faced her with his sword—an intuition.

   And that was why Lucas had made up his mind.

   To strike down that future.

   “How could I just let a phenomenal opponent like her go?”

   A bold, competitive smile spread across his lips as he muttered.