Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The merchant gripped the tiny sword between his index finger and thumb and held it out to me. It looked like a children’s toy, and I was having a hard time believing it could actually turn into a real weapon. I eyed him with deep suspicion.

“Then that means people with no mana are unable to use it,” I said.

“All knights who have trained for long enough are capable of using at least a little mana. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use magical swords...”

I’d let my ignorance show again. Clearing my throat, I quickly changed the subject. “I’m... not certain if Eckles has any mana.”

“Don’t you worry, my lady. I’ve been selling weapons in the capital for decades. I guarantee you, that slave—” he began suavely but faltered when he saw the glare I turned on him. “I mean, your guard had a powerful aura about him. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone like him in all the 30 years I’ve operated my guild.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, my lady!”

I suddenly felt the urge to brag that he’d be a swordmaster one day but refrained.

“This sword is very rare, and I bought it in the black market for a very steep price. However, it’s very expensive, and most knights prefer the more ornate items...” the merchant sniffled, cradling the accessory like it was a baby.

“It hasn’t been enchanted with anything, but it is made of a very rare ore. I have no idea how anyone managed to get their hands on it, but the sword is made of iron mined by the long-extinct dwarves”

“Is that a good thing?”

“There’s no longer any way to mine this type of iron, as it remains a secret the dwarves took to their graves.”

So it must be a good thing, then. I nodded along quietly, not really following most of what he was saying.

“In addition, any mana inside the blade becomes undetectable when it is shrunken down, making it impossible for anyone to identify its true form. Comes in handy when you’re somewhere that having a weapon is not allowed.”

“Like the palace, for example?”

The merchant nodded, looking around him cautiously. He then whispered, “It’s perfect for assassinating someone.”

He was exaggerating. Who would use a magical shape-changing sword to assassinate someone, when they could use poison or a dagger? I didn’t bother pointing this out, however. I liked the sword quite a bit. It’s a weapon others won’t be able to see, but one you can keep on your person at all times. I’d been thinking about getting him a small dagger, but perhaps this was better for Eckles. He could use anything as a weapon anyway, whether it was a magical sword or a toy necklace.

“I’ll take it.”

“My deepest thanks, my lady! I can’t believe our most precious sword has finally found a suitable owner!” The merchant looked almost teary-eyed. “Would you like me to send this to the manor with the other items?”

“No. I’ll take it with me.”

* * *

Moments later, I’d finished paying for the goods and was about to leave when something glimmering in the candlelight caught my eye.

“What is this?” It was too fancy and elegant to look at home in a weapons shop. There was a tiny, circular token filled with writing, glittering jewels embedded in the middle. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Ah. That’s an amulet,” the merchant informed me.

“An amulet?”

“Yes. The hunting tournament is coming up, is it not? It’s popular among the ladies these days. They buy it as a token for family members or lovers taking part in the hunt.”

“Is that right? What does it do?”

“The round disc is imbued with a spell, and the gems are also magic stones. The spell will activate automatically should its wearer be in any danger.”

“What kind of spell?”

“That depends on the amulet. Most are equipped with defensive spells, but some will teleport the wearer to a safe location.”

“Well, that sounds quite convenient.”

“Most amulets have adhesive spells applied to them, so you can attach it anywhere you like on your body,” the merchant attempted to reel me in, immediately latching on to my interest. “Would you like a closer look?”

I nodded. A while later when I left the building, I held three fancy new amulets colored gold, silver, and bronze in addition to the necklace meant for Eckles.

“Did you have a good time, my lady?” the horseman asked, rushing to relieve me of my shopping bag, despite it being the reticent Eckles’ duty. The bag contained the amulets, while the gift for Eckles was hidden in my breast pocket. “Where to now, my lady?”

“There’s a quiet lake to the west, isn’t there?”

“Ah, Lake Kalia, you mean. Let’s be off, then.”

The carriage began to move silently. I’d planned to buy some new dresses and accessories too, but I hadn’t been out in a while and I was already tired. I wanted to go back to the manor right away but had to give my knight his gift first. If I’m going to give it to him, I should make a show of it. I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings and soothe any resentment that might have built up in him so far.

“We’re here, my lady.”

The lake must have been close by since before long the carriage was pulling to a stop. I got down from the carriage with Eckles’ help. He then naturally fell a few paces behind, fulfilling his duty to protect me.

“Walk together with me? It’s lonely walking alone,” I said, gracefully extending a hand.

He hesitated, then softly grasped only the very tips of my fingers. I could barely feel his hand in mine. Tutting, I grabbed his hand tightly and felt him flinch. Glancing sideways, I saw him ducking his head. Unfortunately, his affection score didn’t change. Holding hands, we walked silently along the well-worn path for a time, before finally arriving at an observation deck built above the lake.

It was obviously a popular spot for couples, but perhaps because it was a weekday afternoon, there weren’t that many people around. I rested both my arms on the railing and gazed out over the lake. A soft breeze carried the refreshing smell of the water to my nose. I attempted to make conversation with him as we stood there, but he neither admired the scenery nor attempted to respond to me.

“Do you feel a little better?” I asked.

His ash-gray eyes, which had been staring into the distance, slid to my face. He looked puzzled.

“You had a bad morning.” I reminded him.

Eckles didn’t respond right away. I urged him to answer, and he finally spoke reluctantly. “It was... nothing.”

I knew I had erred in this whole situation, so I asked carefully, “How often does something like the events of this morning happen?”

“It’s never happened before.”

“Eckles,” I reproached with a sigh. “Please don’t think I’ll be fooled by those lies. I told you, didn’t I, that you should make everyone at the manor accept you?”

“...”

“I’m not scolding you because you haven’t achieved that yet. I just want to help because this problem is something beyond your control.”

“...”

“Does Reynold bully you often?”

Eckles was silent, shooting me an odd look. I began to grow anxious.

“Tell me how Reynold has been treating you. I want to try and make things better for you.”

“How?” Eckles said, tilting his head.

“Wh...what?”

“What can you do about the knights?”

Words failed me. It sounded like he was being sarcastic, but his lifeless face betrayed nothing.

“Nothing will change as long as I am a slave, mistress. If you truly mean to help, please ignore what’s happening to me. It doesn’t matter anyway.”

I was taken aback, but I wasn’t so dumb that I failed to understand what he was really saying. I’ll stay by your side, so don’t make any trouble that could get me thrown out. Perhaps he’d acclimatized to the manor faster than I’d realized. That meant he had figured out my position within the household as well.

[Affection Score 33%]

I glanced above his head. Only 33%. I’d only just managed to surpass the base affection score awarded in normal mode. Even in the easier mode, Eckles had been a hard nut to crack. I’d been under the impression that it was because of his loyalty to Penelope, but I realized that maybe this wasn’t the case. I was coming to understand his personality better. So he was just struggling fiercely for his own survival from the beginning? I had gotten so excited without really realizing it after seeing his affection score rise above 30%.

To be honest, I’d been full of hope after the events of the morning. The ending had seemed closer than ever before, and I felt silly for having dragged Eckles so joyfully to the weapons trader.

“Yes... You’re right.” I should have known nothing was ever that easy. My voice sounded dispirited even to my own ears. “You must know now how people see me at the manor.”

Why hadn’t it occurred to me, while trying to judge if he was trustworthy, that he might have been wondering the same thing about me?

“I don’t have the ability to free you from slavery right now,” I continued. “And there’s no perfect solution to stop the bullying while you remain a slave.”

As Eckles had said, there was little I could do. I could go to the duke and tell him that bullying was running rampant among the knights, but it was meaningless to hope for change. The duke isn’t happy that I bought a slave at all. There’s no way he’d concern himself with his problems... I gave up on trying to sweet-talk Eckles.

“But I’m going to keep you with the other knights,” I said in my usual arrogant tone, face devoid of emotion. “Your swordsmanship has to improve in order for the duke to pay attention to you, don’t you agree? So just endure. Keep training and advance your skills. I’ll come and mess with the knights every now and then like I did today.”