Chapter 20: To Be By Your Side
“Sensei.”
She—Sword Saint Elise Gladius—called out to me. Sitting beside me was Sena, while across the low table sat two swordsmen—Elise and Orphelia. By the way, Sena was leaning against the wall behind me.
The silence that had lasted for several minutes was broken by her calling me “Sensei.” I could see that Elise was in worse condition than before; dark circles marred her eyes.
“Even now, may I still call you ‘Sensei’?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Of course… Why would you even ask something so obvious?”
She whispered, “I’m glad…” and tears began to spill from her eyes. Wiping them with her sleeve, she straightened her posture.
“I would like to formally apologize to you here and now.”
There was a faint heat in her voice, but I couldn’t tell what it stemmed from.
“I am truly sorry for betraying you.”
She bowed deeply.
“Elise, when we crossed swords in the Sealed Labyrinth, I understood your feelings well enough. So, you don’t need to apologize anymore.”
Had she always been this small? She had always been delicate, but the frail figure before me was far too—
“Sensei, I wanted to be by your side.”
—I don’t want to leave you alone.
I could never forget those words. Back then, how much they had saved me.
“And yet, I—”
Elise spoke through gritted teeth.
“I betrayed you for someone like that. That’s why I… that’s why I—”
Her words trembled. Before I realized it, I had jumped to her side.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Elise…”
I embraced her tightly, patting her back as if soothing a child. Elise let out soft sobs against my chest. However, this lasted only a few minutes before she regained her composure and pushed against my chest with both hands.
“Sensei, thank you. I’m alright now.”
She wiped away the tears that continued to flow with her sleeve.
“I have things I must do.”
Her voice was choked with sobs, making it difficult for her to speak.
“Originally, I thought I should meet with you after accomplishing everything, but it didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped—”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re my disciple, after all.”
“I’m so relieved to hear you say that. Being your disciple has been my honor and pride.”
From Elise, I felt an indescribable determination.
“What happened?”
At my question, she weakly shook her head, stood up, and turned her back to me, heading toward the door.
“Well then, Sensei, thank you for everything.”
—I think I will go to the monastery at the northernmost point, away from the secular world.
For some reason, she reminded me of Mika from that day.
“Elise!! Wait!!”
I had a strong feeling I couldn’t let her leave like that.
“Hey! You! You idiot!”
However, Elise brushed off both Orphelia and my attempts to stop her—
“Sena.”
She had been the one to hold her back… or rather, wasn’t she looking a bit exhausted?
“With a body like this, there’s nothing I can do. Whether you leave or stay, the outcome will be the same. Right now, this girl can’t accomplish anything.”
Elise had collapsed, losing consciousness in Sena’s arms.
“Um, where should I start?”
Orphelia seemed to be trying to recall something, looking up. We laid Elise down on the warm bedding that Sena and Sensei had prepared, and we were about to hear from Orphelia about their return to this place.
“I was planning to greet Sophia and quickly leave Bordaf. Then, as soon as possible, I wanted to return to the Seventh Blue and resign, so I could train with you as soon as possible.”
Wow, such initiative! Her thought process was the epitome of “strike while the iron is hot.” I found her incredible drive both admirable and a bit overwhelming. However, no one in the room interrupted her story.
“At just that moment, I ran into Elise, who was leaving Bordaf. When I asked where she was going, she was vague. So, out of frustration, I kept asking until I finally got her to say, ‘I’m going back to the Royal Capital.’ But seeing how unhealthy she looked, I thought she might die if I left her alone, so I reluctantly decided to accompany her partway back to the Seventh Blue.”
“That can’t be the whole story, right?”
Her explanation didn’t cover how they ended up back here.
“That’s right. The story continues. Elise’s goal was to clear your name and reveal the whole truth. Initially, she thought that if she went to the Royal Capital, she could talk to a powerful person who had helped her in the past and clarify everything.”
Orphelia spoke in a melodic tone, but beneath it, I sensed something akin to anger or sorrow.
“That idiot said, ‘I will have the Arcana Kingdom recognize Sensei’s achievements before returning to him,’ and she was determined to stay by your side no matter what.”
I could easily imagine her, fists clenched, resolutely declaring her intentions. But—
“Yes, just as you thought. Things didn’t go as Elise had hoped.”
The moment Orphelia finished speaking—
“Let me take over from here.”
Elise had awakened. Despite her poor condition, I could see a fierce determination in her eyes.