Chapter 179: Ariartelle (4)
When Eugene returned to the Lionheart estate, nothing had changed. This was not surprising, though, considering that he had only been away for a week.
“How’s Leo Dragonic?” Gilead interrupted Eugene’s report in the Patriarch’s office.
“He’s young, but he’s a genius,” Eugene answered. At the same time, Carmen, who was sitting beside Gilead, flicked open the lid of her Dupont lighter.
‘ How much longer is she planning to do that … ? ’ Eugene wondered, avoiding Carmen’s gaze.
Well… at least he tried to ignore it.
Pong!
Carmen flicked her lighter lid once more. Holding back the sigh that was stuck in his throat, Eugene turned his head to look at Carmen’s lighter as he said, “It’s a cool lighter.”
“I don’t like the word genius being used lightly…” Carmen muttered, creating fire with her finger that flicked the lighter lid.
Pzzz .
“When you talk about him being a genius, do you mean the next Dragonic Patriarch is as great a genius as you, or maybe even better?” Carmen asked.
“Not really. If I just take into account his gifts, Leo is a little bit better than Cyan.” Eugene shrugged.
“That is not good news.” Carmen faintly frowned.
“I’m saying Leo is better than Cyan if I only take into account his talent. Otherwise, Cyan and Leo are totally different people. While Leo… umm… feels that he is doing pretty fine, Cyan is never satisfied with himself,” Eugene explained.
Although he had been with Leo for just a week, it had been more than enough for Eugene to figure out Leo’s personality to some extent. After giving it some serious thought, Eugene had come to a conclusion.
Leo Dragonic had exceptional innate talent and was passionate about learning and training himself. He was also proud of his Dragonic blood and the clan that he had been born into — meaning that he was in a good environment, a very good environment.
Leo was the only rightful heir of the Dragonics. Within twenty years or so, Leo would become the Dragonic Patriarch no matter what.
Leo was well aware of everything: Alchester Dragonic, his father and the best knight of the empire, loved him. Just like the Dragonic Knights were completely devoted to Alchester, they would swear the same loyalty to him someday.
“In order to become truly powerful, talent is not nearly enough. What you need is tenacity that allows you to endure any and all effort and hardships,” Eugene continued his explanation.
In an environment like Leo’s, it was hard for a person to acquire that tenacity, but what about Cyan? Although he was currently the heir of the prestigious Lionheart clan, he hadn’t been designated as the heir from the start, because neither was Ancilla the first wife, nor he the Patriarch’s first son.
“Ever since he was a child, Cyan had to continuously prove himself. Even though he was raised in such a tough environment, and had my shadow continuously looming over him, didn’t he brave through anyway? Cyan has become a fine adult.” Eugene faintly smiled.
“Not as good as you.” Carmen shrugged.
“Well, I’m still not going to become the Patriarch. Anyhow, Cyan’s upbringing was much tougher than whatever Leo experienced, and he is by far more tenacious. You are well aware of it, aren’t you?” Eugene said, making Carmen grin.
If they chose the next Patriarch solely based on individual power, then that individual would undoubtedly be Eugene, and Cyan was also well aware of it.
However, Cyan hadn’t given up. Since he knew that he wasn’t the perfect heir, then he simply had to become perfect. Considering that he was going to become the next Patriarch if no incident occurred, he could afford to loosen up a little, yet he still devoted himself to training every single day. This earned him the respect and support of the Lionheart clan members.
People usually cheered much more for someone who wasn’t perfect but did their best and never gave up rather than for someone who was just perfect from the get-go.
“To put it simply, Leo can’t beat Cyan.” Eugene summed up concisely.
Carmen was very much into friendship, faith, and the springtime of youth. Feeling goosebumps at Eugene’s inspiring speech, she nodded. “It’s a beautiful conclusion.”
Staring at the flame in her hands for a moment, Carmen then snapped shut the lighter lid. Gilead also looked rather pleased.
When Gilead had adopted Eugene and brought him to the main estate seven years ago, Gilead had some worries, but those worries no longer existed. In fact, they had been replaced by a feeling of his own inadequacy, especially due to having witnessed Eugene’s swordsmanship in the previous competition. During the competition, Eugene’s swordsmanship set fire to the hearts of all the Lionhearts.
“Shall we stroll together?” Carmen randomly asked after she and Eugene had exited Gilead’s office.
The reason was obvious. Looking at the mumbling Carmen, Eugene chuckled.
It seemed like although she wanted to question him, she wasn’t able to speak properly, so she just opened and closed her mouth several times, looking really frustrated.
“Why did you hit the mirror?”
Eugene just directly asked Carmen the question he really wanted to ask, and she knew what Eugene meant.
When other people were forced to recall an embarrassing memory from the distant past, they would pretend that they didn’t know anything or make excuses with a flushed face, but that was not the case with Carmen. Of course, Carmen wasn’t embarrassed about her past one bit, so she proudly answered, “I wanted to shatter myself.”
“Pardon?” Eugene was more confused by her answer.
“The egg is the world.[1] ”
What was she trying to say?
“ Whoever wants to be born must first destroy a world,” Carmen solemnly spoke.
“…It’s a mirror, not an egg…” Eugene quietly mumbled, feeling a headache coming.
“My reflection in the mirror is myself in the mirror of another, opposite reality, so don’t you find that the wall between us is like the shell of an egg? So what would then happen if I reached out toward my mirror self?” Carmen held up her fist. “When I touched the mirror, my fist touched another reality… shattering it. I hoped to be reborn.”
“Yeah….” Eugene half-heartedly nodded.
“And I was actually reborn because the coincidental encounter led me to another world. Eugene, you know that story… because you met, right?” Carmen’s face brightened up.
“I can’t tell you.” Eugene pretended that he had made a vow, although, unlike Carmen, he hadn’t made a promise in Draconic to keep the meeting with Ariartelle secret.
He felt like he would end up losing his mind if he talked with Carmen about this.
“I guess there’s no other choice then.” Carmen nodded.
Although she wanted to talk in detail about the mysterious experience, Carmen understood that it was impossible to break the vow, since she was also under a vow. Looking disappointed, Carmen retreated, so Eugene silently heaved a sigh of relief.
“Hey.” After checking Carmen had gone away far enough, Eugene glared downward. “Are you happy?”
He snorted when he heard a gasp from downstairs.
Cyan quickly ran up to Eugene. “What, what do you mean I’m happy?”
“Why are you playing dumb when you ran your ass off to get here?” Eugene tilted his head.
“No… well…. I was just a bit surprised,” Cyan mumbled.
“You’ve been sneaky ever since you were a child. It makes you look like a wuss, man,” Eugene commented.
“You are too harsh on your brother….” Cyan trailed off.
“If you’ve eavesdropped on a compliment, you should also gladly take the criticism. So, are you happy?” Eugene asked again.
Unable to say anything, Cyan cleared his throat because, of course, he felt good. Who would hate it if they eavesdropped on other people complimenting them?
“Uh… I’m just saying this so you wouldn’t misunderstand. I didn’t eavesdrop. I could just hear it since as you know, Father’s office is right above my room,” Cyan quickly explained.
“Wasn’t the Patriarch’s office soundproofed?”
“Well, the builders finished the estate expansion in such a hurry….” Cyan turned his head sideways.
“Then I’ve to tell lady Ancilla that the fucking builders did a shit job on the expansion even though they were paid a lot ,” Eugene spoke coldly, causing Cyan’s eyes to widen.
“Wait… there’s no need to tell Mother…. I could hear Father’s voice and yours, that’s all…. My ears just work better than usual….” Cyan’s voice was barely audible now.
Instead of saying something, Eugene just squinted at Cyan. The latter could almost physically feel the sting of Eugene’s gaze.
After tapping on the floor with his toes several times, Cyan heaved a big sigh as he confessed, “Well, you know… sometimes people get curious… and they listen to things….”
“Sneaky bastard.” Eugene grinned.
“Not like I eavesdropped on anything confidential or bad…. Hey, what’s your next plan?” Cyan’s face brightened up.
“The same things I always do.” Eugene shrugged.
“I knew it! Then why don’t you check my swordsmanship, since we haven’t done it in a while?” Cyan tapped the hilt of his sword as he conveniently changed the topic.
It seemed that he was eager to train more after hearing the compliments from upstairs.
“Sure.” Eugene had no reason to refuse.
Although the estate’s training area had been expanded significantly, too many knights were training there. Receiving the knights’ greetings, Eugene and Cyan left the estate and headed to the forest.
“Is it because elves live here? I feel like my mana training always goes smoothly in the forest,” Cyan brightly spoke.
“Idiot, you could always train better in the forest anyway, so what do the elves living here have to do with anything?” Eugene tilted his head.
“Well… it is said that the elven race originates from a fairy living in the forest, so the presence of the elves makes the forest more special….”
“Just in case, I’m warning you not to force the elves to cater to your weird preferences, got it?”
“Who the hell do you think I am?” Cyan turned away in shock.
Eugene recalled the adult books that Cyan had indulged in ever since he was little and the women wearing suggestive clothing on the covers.
“If you dare so much as suggest that….” Eugene blatantly stared at Cyan’s crotch, and his gaze was so cold that Cyan shivered.
Crossing his legs, Cyan frowned. “This is so unfair.”
The training area in the forest was much quieter than the one in the estate, but there were still some people training in there. Eugene looked at the training area where he could see Dezra, who was busting her ass trying to control the sleek-looking Wyvern.
Judging from her plaintively shaking hands on the reins, she was practicing her Wyvern riding skill. In front of Dezra, Ciel was looking at her with a resigned gaze. Although Ciel was also riding a Wyvern, she was comfortably sitting on top of the Wyvern, and her arms were crossed — her mount was obedient even though she wasn’t holding the reins.
“You are doing it wrong! A Wyvern is totally different from a horse. These guys don’t run, they fly,” Ciel explained.
“I don’t know what it’s like to fly because I don’t have wings.” Dezra pouted.
“S.O. I.M.A.G.I.N.E! See, your sitting position is also wrong. The Wyvern can’t move his wings if you sit there. Move a little bit forward…. It’s important to become one with the Wyvern, become one, Dezra! Your uselessly big butt should stick to the Wyvern’s scales!” Ciel shouted.
“M-my butt isn’t big…!” Dezra talked back.
“That’s your problem now?! Focus on the important part! Become one! Are you — are you seriously capable of nothing? Lean closer to the Wyvern and stop pulling the reins! Hold it as if it’s a part of you.” Ciel poured out nagging sentence after sentence without stopping once. The more Ciel continued, the more Dezra’s shoulders trembled, but Ciel didn’t stop.
“Don’t try to make yourself comfortable, think about the Wyvern that is squashed under your big butt right now. And also think of me, who gave up her only day off on this sunny day to teach you, and also think of Draggy, who keeps folding and closing his wings to show you how it’s done!”
“ Sob … sob… ” Dezra’s eyes filled up with tears.
“Don’t cry! What are you going to do if you cry? Nothing can be solved by crying! You are doing it again! You are not leaning onto the Wyvern enough again! No matter what you hear, maintain your position! Even if you get stabbed and your guts pour out during your flight, don’t let go of the reins…” Ciel shouted at the top of her lungs.
Just hearing Ciel’s nagging was enough to make Cyan shudder.
“Phew….” Cyan sympathetically looked at Dezra’s drooping shoulders.
During the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony and the hunt in the Black Lion Castle’s forest, she hadn’t hesitated to talk back to everyone, but she now acted like a whining puppy with its tail between its legs in front of Ciel.
“Um…. Sister, why don’t you cut—” Cyan stepped up.
“Be quiet, Cyan. I’m not wrong! She must learn the correct way now, otherwise she will only be a nuisance to the other knights in our division,” Ciel growled.
Although she knew that Cyan and Eugene were watching, who cared? As Dezra’s superior, Ciel had to grasp her subordinate with a firm hand in order to teach her properly. If a cavalryman made a mistake during a battle, they would just fall off their horse and end up with bruises, but a Wyvern rider making a mistake during an air battle would quite literally result in the rider plummeting down from the sky. If so, not only could Dezra die, but she would also cause harm to the other knights because their formation would break.
“She’s right.” Eugene shrugged.
“…Well, she can be more gentle…” Cyan timidly suggested.
“I know this from my lessons with you. If the situation demands it, it’s better to scold the student than comfort them,” Eugene said.
“What did I do now…?” Cyan pouted as he felt the heat on him.
Since Eugene was taking her side, Ciel brightly smiled. “…Hmm, hmm. Watch me, Derza. I’ll show you how to make a Wyvern walk.”
“Okay…” Dezra answered, sobbing.
“Stop crying! Pay attention, my Draggy is known to walk most elegantly and stylishly among all the Black Lion Knight’s wyverns.” Ciel raised her chin, looking proud as she pulled the reins little by little. She spurred Draggy toward Eugene as if she were leading a parade, but after walking a few steps forward, Draggy refused to move due to his vivid memory of Eugene beating him up and pulling out his scales.
Instead of approaching Eugene, Draggy groaned and shook his head.
“Draggy!” Ciel’s eyes shone with surprise. She couldn’t believe Draggy was embarrassing her before her subordinate. “Dezra! It’s all your fault.”
“Pardon?” Dezra flinched.
“Because you’ve been acting stupid until now, Draggy had to repeat his demonstration several times, making him too tired to move!” Ciel shouted.
“That’s…” Dezra spoke quietly.
“Am I wrong? So you haven’t been acting stupid? Then prove it. Fly!” Ciel urged.
“I c-can’t,” Dezra stuttered.
“Stupid Dezra,” Ciel snapped. She dismounted Draggy, then she approached Eugene.
“How was the Dragonic esta—” Ciel froze up in the middle of her question, her gentle smile instantly wiped off her face.
“Why did you stop?” Eugene asked.
She couldn’t just say that she had seen the ring on his ring finger… right?
“What is it?” Eugene asked again.
Ciel’s expression kept changing. Her eyebrows raised and dropped, she looked pensive, and then she frowned…. She looked as if she was going to say something, but she stopped herself. She shivered for a moment, then her gaze turned ice cold.
It was Cyan’s first time seeing his sister acting like this, but the instinct engraved in his very blood and flesh let him know that he ought to be afraid… very afraid.
When he was a child, he had once feared ghosts; however, he now realized how insignificant ghosts were. The real terror was standing right before him. Right now, not only was his sister scarier than a ghost, but unlike ghosts, she was actually real, in front of his eyes.
“…Urgh….” Dezra groaned in fear as she saw Ciel’s triceps and deltoid wriggling from behind.
‘She’s going to slap him,’ Dezra thought as she held her breath.
Ciel was indeed actively thinking about slapping Eugene with her full power, and wondering whether or not she should go ahead and put her thoughts into practice.
“…What… what?” Eugene subconsciously stuttered, something that almost never happened to him.
That was how sudden and intense the energy Ciel released was.
In the meanwhile, Ciel recalled the Dragonic family tree. The Dragonic Patriarch was Alchester Dragonic, and he had one wife. They only had a ten-year-old son, Leo Dragonic.
Therefore, Eugene clearly hadn’t gotten engaged with a Dragonic family member all of a sudden, but romance between a man and a woman could spark rather abruptly. Since the Dragonic clan was very prestigious, there had to be many young maids in the estate.
…So was Eugene the noble young master in love with a maid? Although she knew that this kind of romance novels were always hits, she couldn’t believe that Eugene — who only focused on swinging swords, training until he sweated, and eating meat — would hook up with a maid who wasn’t even a Lionheart.
In that case… had Eugene fallen in love with one of the Dragonic Knights? Which of the Dragonic Knights was female?
“…Hey.” Ciel forced herself to calm down. Her face-slapping muscles stopped twitching, to Dezra’s relief, but even though she tried to suppress her emotions, her body still tensed up against her will.
With a trembling grin, she continued, “...what’s with that ring?”
She could guess at it all day, but she couldn’t come up with an answer. Therefore, she decided to just ask.