Chapter 102 - Aftermath - 2

The first thing Bera did after seeing Aisha release divine energy was grab her and roll up her sleeve.

He was checking for a sacred mark. A sacred mark was the only way someone who possessed no divine energy could suddenly manifest it, so he wanted to see whether Aisha had been granted the currently vacant position of apostle of repose.

But...

"What are you doing!"

There was no sacred mark. Only Aisha struggling to get free.

Bera was bewildered. This was a development he had never even imagined possible.

Divine energy was an innate power, acquired when the body's mana organ underwent a mutation in the womb.

So why had Aisha awakened her mana only now? Was this a butterfly effect caused by something he had done?

The one who answered those questions was Crown Prince Maximilian, who visited the manor two days later.

"People have begun awakening divine energy all over the capital."

"Pardon?"

"Exactly as I said. People are undergoing mutations in the nature of their mana."

His voice was more subdued than it had been at their last meeting.

"For now, the imperial family's healers and mages believe the Saintess is the cause."

"M-me?"

Renée hunched her shoulders, looking flustered. Had she done something wrong? Had she caused some terrible disaster? Those anxious thoughts made her shrink back.

"Their assessment is that this is an aftereffect of the miracle you performed on the day of the attack."

"Oh..."

"I am not blaming you, so there is no need to shrink away like that. Indeed, I ought to thank you instead. If you had not performed that miracle, I would already be buried in the ground."

"No... It was what I had to do."

"There is no need to be so modest. Well, in any case, there is something related to this that I would like to ask of you."

Renée tilted her head.

"Ask of me?"

"Some of those who awakened divine energy, along with several healers, wish to join the Holy Empire. Could your people escort them there? We are rather short-handed here."

Renée's eyes widened slightly at his words.

"The healers too?"

"The miracle we witnessed that day was hardly ordinary, was it? Some of the healers seem to have been profoundly affected by it. They suddenly came to me with that request."

An unmistakable weariness colored Maximilian's words.

Renée could understand why.

'Of course. Healers are highly skilled personnel.'

Losing them so abruptly would be quite a headache.

"Certainly. We can simply send them along when Lady Mari returns to the Holy Empire."

"Thank you. As for compensation..."

"That's all right. When you think about it, this happened because of me."

Renée smiled awkwardly and waved away his offer.

'Now I feel guilty.'

She had the odd feeling that she had poached the Empire's personnel.

"Whew..."

Maximilian let out a deep sigh.

"Ah, Saintess, what are your plans after this?"

"Nothing has been decided yet. Why do you ask?"

"My younger brother's coming-of-age ceremony has been postponed for a while. There is still much to put in order, as you know."

"Oh, that's right. I promised to bestow a blessing."

"If it would not be an imposition..."

"I'll do it. It's not as though I have anywhere I urgently need to go."

"Thank you."

Renée kept smiling awkwardly at the deep fatigue in his voice.

'So that's why Aisha manifested divine energy too.'

She thought that Dovan would finally be able to breathe easier. His worries had grown by the day since Aisha's sudden manifestation of divine energy.

'I'll tell him later.'

The incident that had struck as soon as they left the mountains had already weakened him in body and mind. Surely she ought to bring him as much good news as possible.

While Renée was thinking this over, Maximilian spoke again.

"Ah, we plan to resume the festival next week. If you are interested, do go and enjoy it."

Surprised, Renée asked,

"Wasn't it canceled?"

"Only temporarily suspended. If we abandoned the greatest event of the year over this, some would begin to question the Empire's standing. It is precisely at times like these that we must show our strength."

"Hmm... You have so much to deal with."

"It is my duty. What else can I do? Well, I shall take my leave. Rest well."

"Oh, yes. Goodbye."

No reply came.

CREAK.

The door opened, then closed again with a click.

"Bera?"

"Yes."

"Um... What did his expression look like?"

"Like a little boy who had his pocket money stolen by a thug."

That was quite an unusual comparison.

Or perhaps, considering that Bera had grown up in the gutter, it was a fitting one.

"I feel bad."

"You need not, Saintess. It was the healers who made that choice."

"Still..."

As Bera watched Renée scratch her cheek, he remembered something he had forgotten until that moment. With a small "Ah," he continued.

"Aisha wishes to learn swordsmanship. She asked me to teach her. Would you permit me to do so?"

"Hm? I don't mind, but..."

"Thank you."

"That's unexpected. I thought you would leave it to Sir Norn."

"She shows promise, so I intend to teach her myself."

He was not merely saying that. Bera had made the decision with calculations of his own in mind.

She was none other than a hero from his previous life. This meant having the remarkable Aisha Dragnoff, wielder of the demonic sword, serve under him.

Although she did not have the demonic sword, that was no great problem. Even without it, Aisha was still Aisha. Her talent, at least, had already been proven.

'I'm starting to see the limits of what I can do alone.'

He would remain by Renée's side in most circumstances, but there would be times, like this recent incident, when they had no choice but to separate.

What if a battle broke out then?

Norn and Hella were there, but they were only somewhat more capable than ordinary people.

He needed another sword to protect Renée in his absence.

"Then, with your permission, I will begin her lessons tomorrow."

"Oh, yes."

As Renée nodded, she felt a sudden surge of curiosity.

'Bera's training...'

Come to think of it, Bera always went out to train late at night or early in the morning, while she was asleep. What sort of training did he do that made him so reluctant to practice in front of her?

'I'm curious.'

Sensing Bera beside her, Renée mulled it over for a while before asking,

"May I come watch too?"

Her face was slightly flushed with curiosity.

Bera gave a startled twitch, then answered hesitantly.

"... Yes."

There was only one reason: he had no excuse with which to refuse her request.

'... Should I go easy on her?'

He had intended to put Aisha through her paces from the very first day, but if Renée was watching, he would have to lower the intensity.

For some reason, he did not want Renée to see his harsher side. It was a purely emotional reason, with no logic behind it whatsoever.

* * *

The next day, in a small clearing in the rear garden of the Count's manor, Bera spoke firmly to Aisha, who stood opposite him.

"Come at me."

"Huh?"

Aisha tilted her head.

He had promised to teach her swordsmanship, so she had expected to learn basics such as cutting and thrusting. Being told to attack him without any preamble left her puzzled.

Bera offered the puzzled Aisha a brief explanation.

"There is no need to practice the basics separately. You will learn faster by fighting."

He had reached that conclusion after ample consideration.

Aisha was beastfolk. Her physical abilities were naturally superior to a human's, and her time as a blacksmith's apprentice had already built up her stamina sufficiently.

Of course, the fundamentals mattered, but first he needed to hone Aisha's animal instincts.

Aisha gave a casual nod of agreement.

"Then here I come?"

"Come..."

TAP-TAP.

The instant Bera spoke, Aisha lunged. The short dagger in her hand was already thrusting toward him.

Bera calmly watched the approaching dagger, imbued his index finger with a little divine energy, and flicked it away.

THRUM!

The sound was disproportionately loud for such a small motion. Aisha flew high into the air behind it.

"Wah!"

Launched to a height at least three times that of a person, Aisha flailed briefly, then quickly regained her balance and landed.

"Your intentions are obvious. If you mean to catch me off guard, do a better job of it."

"Grr!"

Anger rose in Aisha's face.

Bera gave a crooked smile as she glared at him indignantly.

'She's not suited to thinking before she moves.'

He needed to engrave combat into her instincts so that she could target vital points even while acting on emotion.

As he was thinking this, Aisha lunged again.

TAP-TAP. THRUM.

Hearing the collision and Aisha's scream, Renée turned anxiously to Hella beside her.

"I-is she all right? Aisha isn't hurt, is she?"

"Yes, she's fine. Being feline beastfolk must have something to do with it. Her balance is incredible."

"Ugh... If she gets hurt, you must stop them right away. Understood?"

Watching Renée fidget anxiously, Hella spoke in a slightly awkward tone.

"Saintess, getting hurt is part of training..."

"But she's still a child..."

"I broke bones more than once training at her age too. So you don't need to worry."

Renée sighed deeply and nodded at Hella's uncharacteristically uncompromising words.

Hella normally answered in a vacant voice unless something truly exceptional happened. If she was being this firm, she must have good reason.

Surely they knew far more about swords than Renée did.

THRUM.

"Eek!"

Aisha screamed again.

"Oh, Aisha landed again. Her balance really is incredible."

Hella's commentary continued as well.

For some reason, Renée felt as though she alone had been left out, and her lips pursed into a pout.

* * *

"Ah, thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all. I hope you were not bored."

"Not in the slightest."

They were speaking just after the sparring session ended. Hella had taken away Aisha, who was covered in dust and fuming, leaving the two of them alone.

"You really went straight into it, didn't you? Since it was the first day, I thought you would teach her things like how to hold a sword."

It was not a rebuke. She was simply voicing her impression.

But Bera, who had gone "easy" on Aisha by his own standards, felt needlessly guilty and answered as though making excuses.

"... Given her time as an apprentice, I thought she would already know such things."

"Oh..."

Renée was quickly convinced. Whatever the case, Bera knew more than she did, so she trusted him to handle it properly.

"Hmm..."

She murmured as she stroked the end of her cane. After a moment, she twisted its handle, drew out the blade, and spoke with a smile.

"Speaking of holding a sword, that reminds me. Is this the right way to hold it?"

More than ten days earlier, Renée had held a sword for the first time in her life to open the gateway to the divine realm. Now, wondering whether she had held it correctly back then, she asked that question.

Bera looked down at her hand, and his eyes narrowed of their own accord.

'The sword...'

Why was she holding it like that?

Her thumb and index finger should have formed a circle around the cane. Why was she wrapping her hand around its handle with all five fingers pressed together?

"... Am I holding it wrong?"

Belatedly embarrassed by Bera's reaction, Renée asked the question. Looking slightly troubled, he placed his hand over hers.

"Your thumb goes like this..."

With his left hand, Bera lifted Renée's thumb from the cane's handle and repositioned it over the tips of her other fingers.

"... You hold it with your thumb wrapped around the other four fingers."

"Oh..."

Renée's face turned as red as an apple. The embarrassment of not having known how to hold a sword properly until now was to blame.

"Ahem...!"

She cleared her throat unnecessarily. Bera gave a start and tried to reassure her.

"... It does not matter if you do not know. Wielding a sword is my role."

Did he realize that those words only embarrassed her more?

Feeling her face grow hot, Renée continued in a mumble.