Chapter 50 - Damn Reincarnation

Black Lions

Once Melkith made her decision, they immediately proceeded with the contract. This was no mere paper agreement. Even an archmage like Melkith could not violate a contract sealed by magic.

“What happens if the cloak is destroyed because of me?”

“You'll have to pay what it's worth. Don't worry, I won't ask you to give up your life.”

She was hardly in a position to demand that anyway. Though he was not a legitimate son, Eugene was an adopted son of the Lionheart main family. Making an outrageous demand would clearly put her at odds with Lionheart, and Melkith had no desire for that.

“Besides, that won't happen in the first place. The Cloak of Darkness is a top-tier defensive artifact, made with no expense spared. If it's destroyed while you're wearing it... you'll probably die with it. Do you understand what I'm saying, kid?”

“You're telling me to be careful if I don't want to die.”

“Exactly. Don't get cocky just because you have protective gear. Keep it safely tucked away. Wearing it to some fancy party is fine, but don't go fighting in it.”

Why even own a cloak like this if that was all she used it for? Eugene gave a hollow chuckle and draped the Cloak of Darkness over his shoulders.

“A fine design.”

Carmen spoke from her perch on the windowsill. She still held an unlit cigar between her lips.

“I particularly like the generous fur around the neck. It calls to mind a lion's mane, the symbol of Lionheart.”

“I see.”

“But the black fur is a flaw. White, like the flames of the White Flame Formula... or ash gray would have looked much finer. As it stands, that fur would suit the Black Lion Knights much better.”

“...”

Eugene stared blankly at Carmen without saying anything. She said no more either, simply gazing back at him. After they had exchanged looks for a while, Ciel, sitting beside Eugene, prodded his side.

“Take it off for her.”

“Why?”

“She wants to try it on.”

“She didn't say that.”

“Not everything has to be put into words.”

What kind of nonsense was that? Eugene was incredulous, but Carmen's gaze exerted an irritating pressure on him.

“... Please, try it on.”

As he spoke and removed the cloak, Carmen immediately approached. With an expression that made an ostentatious show of indifference, she practically flourished the cloak he handed her as she swept it around herself.

“Not bad.”

Studying her reflection in the window, she subtly shifted from one pose to another. Eugene stared at her back. He had met countless older people in both his lives, but never anyone who failed to act her age in quite such a peculiar way.

“A lion-shaped ornament on the chest would improve it further. And the Lionheart crest embroidered on the back.”

“Anyone listening would think I'd given it to you! Don't get the wrong idea. It's a loan, remember? Just try messing with my cloak!”

Melkith shouted, abandoning her greedy inspection of Wynnyd. Carmen, however, offered no response. She remained absorbed in her reflection for a while, only removing the cloak after Nation had cleared his throat three or four times.

“It's nearly time. Let's go.”

“Yes.”

Nation rose with a sigh of relief. He had worried that Carmen might leave without taking the cloak off, but thankfully, she did not do anything quite that shameless and embarrassing.

“Ciel.”

Before leaving the reception room, Gion called her name.

“Yes, I'll wait here with Eugene.”

Ciel answered with a bright smile, as though she had been waiting for him to say it. In contrast to her smile, Gion looked distinctly reluctant. Eugene had no opportunity to ask him why, however. Carmen left the reception room without allowing them a chance for a private conversation.

“I'm leaving too.”

After Carmen and the Black Lion Knights departed, Melkith sprang to her feet. Hugging Wynnyd in both arms, she grinned, her cheeks twitching.

“It won't take as long as you think. Half a day at most?”

“I'll come with you.”

“No. Who said you could? Listen, kid, when you're making a contract with a spirit, the summoner's spirit affinity matters, but so do the place and circumstances. So... you could compare it to a marriage meeting.”

“What?”

“Think about it. You arrive all excited for your marriage meeting, only to find some random layabout with your prospective partner. How would that make you feel?”

“I don't think I'd mind. I'd just assume he was the person who arranged the meeting.”

“You've never done it, have you?”

“What?”

“Been to a marriage meeting.”

“I'm seventeen.”

“Don't prestigious families arrange those meetings all the time, starting much younger than that? I read it in a romance novel.”

“Please don't confuse fiction with reality.”

“They really don't? Reality really is inferior to fiction.”

Melkith stopped grumbling and turned serious.

“Anyway, no. I finally have a chance to woo the Wind Spirit King. What if he sees me with you and refuses the contract? That would be disrespectful to him.”

“I'd like to see the Wind Spirit King in person too.”

“Don't worry. Once I've made the contract, I'll let you see him when I return Wynnyd.”

Eugene nodded. As Melkith said, Tempest probably would not appear with him present. Frankly, the analogy about marriage meetings was hard to follow, but Tempest knew that Eugene was Hamel.

'That son of a bitch. He's definitely hiding something from me.'

When they met four years ago, Tempest had left after claiming he knew nothing. Eugene simply could not believe him.

'Even if he doesn't know about the promise, he must know what happened before they fought the Demon King of Incarceration.'

He needed to hear at least that much.

After Melkith left as well, only Eugene, Lovellian, and Ciel remained in the reception room.

“... Ah. My greeting is rather overdue. Lady Ciel, it's been four years since we last met, hasn't it?”

“Yes.”

When Eugene saw her just a few months ago, she had still been in the throes of adolescence, shut away in her room. Perhaps she had overcome it in the meantime. Ciel gave Lovellian a radiant smile and bowed her head.

Looking at the seventeen-year-old Ciel, Lovellian felt how swiftly the years had passed. He had felt the same when he reunited with Eugene, but children these days really seemed to grow up quickly. Almost none of the childishness he remembered from four years ago remained in Ciel.

“You said you came because of Lady Anisilla's birthday?”

“Yes. Oh, and every single gift you've sent me over the years is on display in my room.”

“Haha, I've always enjoyed reading your thank-you letters, Lady Ciel. I did find it odd that you hadn't sent one this year, though... Was the gift not to your liking?”

“No, it wasn't that.”

Though the question could easily have been awkward, Ciel shook her head without losing her smile.

“I'm embarrassed to admit it myself... but since the beginning of this year, I've been rather sensitive about all sorts of things. Your gift was beautiful, but strangely, it never occurred to me to pick up a pen and write you a letter.”

“Ah... I understand. At your age, such phases can come on quite suddenly.”

Lovellian accepted her explanation without taking offense. Having never had children himself, he could not understand a father's struggles, but Gilead had lamented his only daughter's adolescence to him on several occasions.

“It would be rude to send a letter this late. But I'd feel terrible just letting it pass as though nothing had happened... and I was afraid you might stop sending me presents next year.”

With a playful smile, Ciel reached inside her clothes and brought out a neatly wrapped gift box.

“I picked something I thought would suit you. It's nothing extraordinary, but I saved up my allowance to buy it.”

“Oh...”

“Go on, open it.”

Ciel urged him on with a gentle smile. Deep in his chest, Lovellian felt an unfamiliar warmth. Was this why people married and had children? He had never thought much of it when Gilead boasted about his children, but receiving a gift like this filled him with an inexplicable surge of emotion.

“This is...”

Lovellian's eyes trembled as he unwrapped the box. Inside was a tastefully designed tie pin. As Ciel had said, it was nothing extraordinary. Its fine workmanship suggested a considerable price, but anyone with enough money could readily buy something like it.

Yet the emotion Lovellian felt far exceeded the gift's price. He had never received this sort of present before...

“At first, since you're a mage, I thought I might give you something related to magic. But then I realized you probably already had plenty of things like that.”

“...”

“So I spent a long time thinking... Whenever I picture you, you're always wearing robes. But surely even you don't wear mage's robes all the time...”

“I'll go change.”

Lovellian sprang to his feet. Ciel giggled and shook her head.

“No, not right now. Show me on my birthday next year.”

“Why next year, specifically?”

He wanted to try it on right now. When Lovellian asked in a trembling voice, Ciel continued with a mischievous smile.

“Because it's my gift to you. I don't know whether you're coming to Mother's birthday party, but please wear it to my birthday, not hers. That way I can show it off to Cyan and the other guests.”

Even after going through adolescence, she was still a cunning little minx. Eugene thought this as he glanced sideways at the grinning Ciel. He was quite confident in his own ability to handle adults, but he had no confidence whatsoever that he could compete with her.

“Ah... Of course, Lady Ciel. Is there anything you'd like for your birthday next year?”

“I'd love anything you give me. Oh, but please don't give me anything too extravagant. My brother gets jealous.”

Jealous? Lovellian had no intention of worrying about that.

Ever since the Bloodline Succession Ceremony, he had sent the main family's twins gifts every year. Cyan had sent thank-you letters too, just like Ciel. But his letters were always so formal that Lovellian could no longer remember what they said.

“... Oh!”

Lovellian came back to himself after staring entranced at the tie pin. He checked the clock on the reception room wall and smiled regretfully.

“I've kept you both far too long.”

“Please don't say that. Keeping us...? If anything, I'm the one taking up your valuable time.”

How did she manage to make everything she said so pleasing to hear? Marveling at her eloquence, Lovellian rose.

“Not at all. I'd gladly continue our conversation a little longer... but you must have business to attend to as well, Lady Ciel. Let's leave it here.”

“I don't mind...”

“No, I have matters to attend to myself.”

He said he should put in an appearance at parliament, partly to check on the matter involving the Black Lion Knights. At that, Ciel could no longer protest.

“... Then I'll be going too...”

“Where are you going? You're coming with me.”

“Why should I?”

“This is my first time in Aroth. You ought to show me around, shouldn't you?”

“I'd appreciate that as well, Sir Eugene.”

Now that he had the Cloak of Darkness, Eugene wanted to go down to the research wing and test it... but Lovellian lent his support to Ciel's request. Eugene's furrowed brows twitched before he reluctantly nodded.

“At least try to make your lies sound convincing.”

As soon as they left the Red Tower, Eugene turned to Ciel with a sneer.

“You shoved all the presents Lovellian sent you into a corner of your room.”

“How was that a lie?”

“You said you had them nicely displayed.”

“That's because your eye for interior design is woefully lacking. It might look as though I shoved them aside to you, but to me, they're all displayed in exactly the right places.”

Was that really true? Eugene was incredulous, but he could find no way to refute her. No matter how he looked at it, she had just carelessly dumped them there. That counted as displaying them?

“... I think they were a bit dusty the last time I saw them.”

“You must have seen wrong. Dust accumulating in my room? That's simply impossible. If it really happened, I'll summon my personal attendant and give her a thorough scolding the moment I return to the main family.”

“On second thought, I don't think there was any dust.”

“It must have left quite an impression.”

Grinning, Ciel slipped naturally up beside Eugene.

“What did?”

“When you came into my room. Enough for you to remember every little detail of—”

“Sorry, but I have a good memory. I remember everything in Cyan's room too. Speaking of which, tell him to get rid of those weird books under his bed.”

“... What?”

“He seems to think he's done his best to hide them so nobody knows. But even Nina knows he's been collecting erotic picture books with those weird bunny-ear headbands since he was fifteen.”

“Disgusting.”

“Right? Nina's really worried. She's afraid that once Cyan becomes family head, the servants' uniforms will turn into bunny-ear headbands and stockings in different colors.”

“I'll tell Mother.”

“That's a bit much.”

Eugene answered with an uneasy expression. The strict Anisilla would certainly yank Cyan by the ear and yell at him. If that happened, he might kill himself out of sheer humiliation.

“Just drop him a hint yourself.”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“That bunny ears aren't all that great.”

With that, Eugene strode ahead. Ciel blinked at him, then hurried to catch up.

“Then what kind of ears do you like?”

“How did you get that out of what I said?”

“You said bunny ears aren't that great. Doesn't that mean you like some other kind?”

“Sorry, but I like ordinary ears. Isn't it weird and creepy when you think about it? If someone has bunny ears on top of their head, what's where their normal ears ought to be?”

“... Maybe it's just filled in?”

“Wouldn't that look incredibly creepy in real life?”

“... Then... they'd still have ears in the usual places.”

“So they have human ears and bunny ears? Isn't that creepy too?”

“... Uh... Yeah.”

That was not the response she had been hoping for. Ciel looked nonplussed, then quietly cleared her throat.

“Enough pointless talk. Let's go choose Mother's present.”

“I don't know what Lady Anisilla likes.”

“I do, so what does it matter? Just come along.”

“If you just want me to follow you, why did you ask me to show you around?”

“You're as insufferable as ever. Are you going to make me wander around alone, then? Abandon me in the capital of a foreign country I've never visited, when I don't know anything about it?”

“Abandon you...? It's not like you're too dim to take care of yourself.”

“You say that, but I know you'll come.”

“I don't have much choice. If I upset you for no reason, you'll obviously nag me about it forever.”

Grumbling, Eugene drew the Cloak of Darkness closed. It was still too early in the season for a cloak with such thick, shaggy fur, but its various convenience enchantments kept him from feeling hot even while wrapped in it.

“... Come to think of it, your birthday was two months ago.”

“It was.”

“What did you do? Did you have a party?”

“No. I just read.”

“Read?”

“In the Red Tower's library.”

“You really didn't have a party? Didn't anyone give you a present?”

“No. Lovellian and Hera tried, but it made me uncomfortable, so I begged them not to.”

“Who's Hera?”

“A mage at the Red Tower.”

“A woman?”

“Her name's Hera. Would she be a man?”

“What does she look like?”

“A mage.”

“... What does looking like a mage even mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Robes, a big hat, a staff.”

“What about her face?”

“That's her over there.”

Her relentless questions were growing tiresome, but conveniently, Eugene spotted Hera coming down the street. She was hugging a large bag of bread and sniffing the aroma of a baguette.

“Oh, Sir Eugene!”

Upon spotting him, Hera beamed and waved. In that brief moment, Ciel looked her up and down. Then she smiled sweetly and bowed her head as though she had done nothing of the sort.

“I'm Ciel of the Lionheart family.”

“Oh...! I-I'm Hera Stilly of the Red Tower.”

Unable to make immediate sense of the situation, Hera glanced at Eugene.

“... She came with the Black Lion Knights.”

“Oh... the Cloak of Darkness! I see the deal went through smoothly.”

“Yes. I was going to head down to the research wing, but she kept pestering me to come with her.”

“Ah...”

Hera noticed Ciel's pointedly subtle gaze. She quietly cleared her throat and nodded.

“Have a lovely time.”

“What?”

Hera offered no further explanation. She scurried past Eugene, and Ciel watched her retreating back for a moment before nodding.

“She seems nice.”

“Uh... She is nice.”

“Maybe it's the smell of bread. I'm hungry.”

“Then let's eat first.”

Eugene resumed walking and glanced at Ciel.

“By the way, did you really come all the way to Aroth just to buy a present?”

“I told you I came to see you too.”

“Besides that. I've known you for four years. Do you think I can't read your behavior? It's not some great secret, is it? What are you hoping to do with Lady Carmen?”

“You're perceptive about the strangest things.”

“Or you're just obvious.”

“I'm pestering her to take me on as her squire.”

Ciel shrugged as she answered.

“Cyan's going to become family head anyway. And I don't want the position myself. Mother seems to want to arrange a political marriage for me...”

She paused to study Eugene's expression, but it showed no change.

“... I don't want a political marriage. But I don't want to stay cooped up at the main estate playing the young lady either.”

“So you're going to join the Black Lion Knights?”

“I can't join right away, but I want to become Lady Carmen's squire and receive personal instruction from her.”

“Has she agreed?”

“If she really didn't like me, she wouldn't have come with me. You might not know this, but Lady Carmen has doted on me since I was little.”

Ciel grinned boastfully. Eugene recalled Carmen's austere face—or perhaps her efforts to make it look austere.

“... That's good.”

“What is?”

“You're trying to do something for yourself instead of just eating the main family out of house and home. Is Cyan doing well?”

“He talks about you often. He did before I came here too.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to keep it secret...”

“What secret? You're going to tell me anyway.”

“He wanted me to find out how many stars you've reached in the White Flame Formula.”

“Three.”

“Still the same.”

“What about Cyan?”

“Two stars.”

“He's still the same too, then.”

Eugene answered with a chuckle. Unlike that idiot Eward, the twins were working hard, and he rather liked that. Cyan's inferiority complex had become fuel for his training. Ciel remained mischievous and cunning, but she had not become vicious enough to take advantage of others.

Only Eward had grown up to be a piece of shit.

“... Have you heard anything about our elder brother? I heard he went to his mother's family.”

“I don't know, and I don't care.”

Ciel spat the words out with a sharp frown.

“Mother was pleased with Eward's idiocy, but it makes me sick. Cyan feels the same.”

“Still, you must have heard something.”

“... I heard Lady Theonis is asking around for a mage to hire as his private tutor.”

“A private tutor?”

“Ridiculous, isn't it? After all the trouble he caused, apparently she's still going to let him study magic. He'll never become family head anyway. She should just leave him to live his own life.”

Grumbling, Ciel clung to Eugene's arm.

“Enough unpleasant talk. Let's get something to eat. Do you know any good restaurants?”

“There are plenty, but the food probably won't be as good as what we get at the main estate.”

“The taste doesn't matter.”

Ciel looked up at Eugene, her eyes curving with her grin.

“Food isn't just about the taste, you know. The atmosphere matters too.”