The Flower with a Sword - Chapter 7

She clenched her teeth and folded the package. In the meantime, they arrived at Eki’s private bathroom.

“Wash up first, I’ll prepare your clothes. Shall I bring you breakfast, or would you like to have it together at the dining hall?”

“Together, with whom?”

“Of course, together with the Master, the Madam, and the Young Master. You often overslept, so if you want to eat together, I’ll have to tell the kitchen in advance.”

“If it’s the Master, the Madam, the Young master…my parents? Right…my parents. With Lancel?”

“Then do you have any other parents? You are weird today.”

“Parents…you say.”

“Anyway, you are going to eat together, right? I will tell the kitchen.”

“Yes….”

As she blankly replied, Nora left for the kitchen. Eki creaked into the bathroom.

The bathroom had a large full-length mirror. She was reflected in the spotless mirror and stopped her steps.

Twenty-year-old Echinacea Roaz was there. She was young, she wasn’t wet with blood, she wasn’t hurt, she was herself.

Nora who was not dead even talked about her parents and her younger brother. She asked if she would like to eat together. That simple and ordinary question touched Eki’s heart.

Her face in the mirror was distorted as if she were crying.

“Everyone is alive. Really alive.”

Her heart beat like it was going to break. She wanted to run right away to check her father’s face, and get a hug from her mother’s arms. Her whole body was trembling, Eki couldn’t stand still and slumped down on the spot.

She saved them. She did it. It really changed.

Unlike the morning of March 17th she knew, this morning everyone was alive.

Memories of six years of nightmares and nine years of collecting Giosa without resting came to mind in a jumble of memories. Blood-drenched nightmares. Desperate struggles and palpable pains.

However, before the outcome she obtained, all those memories felt like nothing.

Excitement and relief burst out, and Eki took a deep breath for a while. Her cheeks flushed red and she rubbed them with her hands several times. Tears welled up in her eyes but she pressed tightly against them. If there is any trace of crying, everyone will be worried.

Worrying about her, what a sweet reality this is. It’s been too long since she’d lost everyone who cared for her. The single person, who appeared like a miracle and tried to help her but lost everything and died at her own hands.

Yurien de Harden Kyrier.

The blue eyes stared straight at her. Eyes she couldn’t close as he died at her hands.

‘That person…he must be alive.’

I would like to meet. I miss him. I want to say that I finally made it, and his choice was not wrong.

But he doesn’t know anything. Right. Because not knowing is a better memory. No, I shouldn’t even try to know him when I think of the things I had done. 

Eki moaned and rubbed her face.

Then, the pattern on the palm of her hand caught her eyes and gave her goosebumps. A new beginning awaits, but the biggest nightmare still remains.

‘What should I do about this?’

First, I had to make the pattern inconspicuous. Wearing gloves was probably the easiest way.

After a quick shower and looking for thin silk gloves, Nora came in. She dressed Eki in a pale purple dress. It was not for a party, but for everyday use. It was a dress she had wanted to wear for a very long time.

Unknowingly, Eki rubbed the smooth fabric. She even swept through the lace as delicate as a spider’s web. It was pretty, soft, and gorgeous. She liked the fluttering hem that fluffed up when she moved. She was excited. Because it really feels like everything was back in place.

Nora, who was heading to the dining room together, looked back at her and said,

“You must be in a good mood, Miss. I was a bit worried about it earlier because you were acting a little strange.”

“Do I look happy?”

“Yes, you are smiling.”

“Smiling?”

Eki touched the corner of her lips. She could feel the corners rising. She doesn’t know how many years ago she smiled like that. Eki felt uncontrollably excited and laughed out loud.

“A lady must never laugh out loud, Eki.”

A gentle voice came from behind. Eki’s steps suddenly stopped while Nora bowed her back and said her greetings.

“Master, Madam, good morning.”

“Good morning, Nora. Eki, did you wake up early?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had breakfast with my daughter.”

Greeting her affectionately, the Count couple passed by and entered the dining room. Lancel, who had already arrived, greeted his parents. After training, his hair, which was washed off, remained wet. The Countess, who was strict with manners, lightly pointed it out, and Lancel shyly covered his hair.

The Count brought up that Nicole was due to arrive at the mansion by tomorrow. Nicole was a wizard sponsored by Roaz, who worked in the capital’s wizard tower and frequently stayed at Roaz’s estate on vacation. She, Eki, and Lancel were as close as brothers and sisters. 

Lancel laughed saying that he was looking forward to seeing Sister Nicole after a long time. Both the Count and the Countess had smiling faces. And they in turn looked at the Echinacea standing at the entrance.

“Sister, are you not awake yet?”

“Eki, what are you doing?”

“Come in.”

The morning sun shone through the windows of the dining room. The family members who lived and breathed in the sunlight laughed and called for her.

At one point Eki was not breathing. Her eyes didn’t even blink. Then, as if a soul had entered a doll, she slowly blinked her eyes.

Even when the darkness cast by her closed eyelids passed by, the appearance of her family did not vanish in thin air. It was neither a fantasy nor a dream. It was real. She choked up and barely answered.

“Yes.”

She moved her steps into the landscape she had longed for. Her eyes were filled with the scenery. It was a landscape she eventually regained, a life she would protect at all costs.

That’s why I won’t let a demon sword ruin this life I’ve barely recovered.

She walked with her right hand clasped tightly. One step at a time, the faces of her family got closer. The more she did that, the more stiff her chest was. Eki muttered unconsciously. 

“…I really, miss you, really, really…”

“Huh? We saw each other yesterday, too.” 

“Sister woke up early and quite strange at that. She must have been dreaming.”

“Did you have a bad dream, Eki?” 

My parents and my little brother handed each one a word. Echinacea smiled brightly with red eyes.

“Yes, maybe I had a bad dream.”

* * *

I don’t know how the day went by. The literature teacher and the dance teacher scolded me for making frequent mistakes today, but I was not offended at all.

They deserve to be angry because she was a student who forgot what they had taught her a few days ago. Of course, from Eki’s point of view, it was the first class in 15 years, so there was nothing she could do about it. Even so, the class that used to be boring was enjoyable throughout. She was even happy to hear the scolding.

The first day of coming back was over. Eki laid down on the bed after Nora turned off the lights and stepped back. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, feeling the still mood. She made sure Nora had completely moved away and then cautiously stood up.

There was no need to light the lamp. She opened the curtains and let in the moonlight. Even with that little light, Eki could see around as if it were broad daylight.

She sat across the bed and looked into her palms. She wore gloves all day long, but she couldn’t even wear them when she slept, so she struggled to keep the mark out of Nora’s sight. She reached out her hand and looked at the black spot-like glyph.

A glass-like transparent sword rose from the pattern. A neat and beautiful sword that raises doubts about whether it is for decoration or not. However, this was a demon sword that drunk tens of thousands of litters of blood. Eki stared at her sword with cold eyes.

“Val.”

The magic sword didn’t answer. She laid the sword horizontally, clutching the handle. She wrapped her mana in her hand and slapped it over the glyph.

[Ah! Ah! Hey! Wake me up nicely!]

“You finally woke up.”

She threw her sword away at random. Valdergiosa, who had been with her for the nine years prior to the return, was accustomed to her rough handling. The demon sword grumbled.

(Note: changing from Verdigiosa to Valdergiosa. It is closest to the Korean pronunciation.)

[I’m tired to death, but this human who is my owner keeps bullying me even now…]

“Seeing what you’re talking nonsense, you seem to be sane, explain yourself.”

[What.]

“Explain why you are still attached to me.”

[This was expected. Time has gone back, but your soul remains the same. And I’m a Giosa embedded in your soul.]

“There are ten other ten swords that I have collected. What about the other Giosas besides you?”

[Even though you collected them, you never awakened their ego. You have to awaken their self to become a Giosa true master. Anyway, that’s why I’m the only one who’s engraved on your soul, and if your soul is the same, then, of course, I’m the same.]

Valdergiosa chimed in as if this was a pathetic question. Eki’s face became increasingly contorted. The demon sword continued talking without even paying attention.

[Hey, the reason you remember everything is because of are an owner of Giosa. If it weren’t for me you would forget everything and become a 20-year-old who knows nothing. Oh, then you might be eaten by me again.]

“Wait.”

Eki’s complexion turned pale while she was muttering ‘no way’.

“Are you saying that if I leave you, I will forget everything? All the memories before the return?”

[If there are any other Giosa besides me, it will be maintained thanks to them, but if there is none, you will forget it… But, master, do you really want to leave me?]

The question came out with a little depressed tone. Eki laughed at the demonic sword’s attitude.

“By all means.”

[A heartless human…]

Even if the shell that caused her to slaughter and the ego were different, that was essentially a demon sword. It was something she deeply realized when collecting Giosa for 9 years.

Valdergiosa was the sword of slaughter. It is a sword made by a blacksmith using human malice and the intent to kill.

Even if it acted harmlessly, she couldn’t let her guard down. If she lets her guard down, she’ll be stained with that sword, and she’ll want to kill. There were times when she made such a mistake because of that. Before the return, in the days of collecting Giosa.

It was a memory she didn’t want to recall. Eki stared at the demon sword with a fed-up expression.

Whether or not it was because she awakened its ego, it wasn’t difficult for her to give up on the Giosa. 

I could have thrown it away as soon as I saw it. I just kept it for fear of it being manipulated by someone else if I threw it away.

However, now, there was another reason why she could never let it go. 

Retention of memory.

The demon sword whined that it wanted to kill people, but it did not lie.

“I can’t throw it away until I get another Giosa.”