Sigrid

“What are you talking about? I lose to Sigrid too.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I dislike Sigrid. I like her. When she says I’m amazing, it’s completely sincere. I really like her, but—”

But that doesn’t mean he only has positive feelings. She stimulated the inferiority complex within him. And he felt utterly pathetic for having such emotions.

“Yeah, I understand what you mean.”

Morris nodded.

That’s why they had drunk so much. Plus, being cheap gin, the hangover was terrible. Morris looked at Sigrid sitting in front of him with perfect posture.

“Marie-Chez’s apology might help, but she touched on something that should never be touched, so honestly, I’m not sure if Alkerto will accept it.”

Morris said with a sigh.

Sigrid thought, ‘I see—’ and crossed her arms.

‘An apology, an apology… How can I get Marie-Chez to apologize to Alkerto?’

After pondering for a while, Sigrid suddenly remembered something and said:

“Oh, that’s right. Morris.”

“Hm?”

“Um, should I teach you too?”

“Huh? Teach me what?”

“Swordsmanship. I’ve agreed to teach Marie-Chez.”

“Really?”

Surprised, Morris’s eyes widened.

“But is that okay? Those are skills you’ve learned with such difficulty.”

Moreover, Sigrid had never shown her swordsmanship to others. He thought even the recent sparring was quite extraordinary.

“A little bit should be fine. Actually, I’m not that amazing— In fact, for someone of your skill level, Morris, it might be nonsense for me to teach you.”

“What about Alkerto?”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you teach Alkerto once too?”

“If Alkerto is okay with it.”

“He’ll be okay with it.”

When Morris said this, Sigrid smiled and said, “If Morris says so, then it must be true.” He stared at her smiling face.

“Aren’t you trusting me too much?”

Morris blurted out without thinking, and she opened her eyes wide before saying seriously:

“You know, I’d forgive you even if you killed me.”

“What?”

Morris asked in surprise. Sigrid laughed.

“That’s right.”

“Why on earth?”

Morris asked, unable to understand.

“Because I believe you wouldn’t do it without a reason.”

At those words, Morris groaned.

“You seem to think too highly of me.”

“Not at all.”

Sigrid shook her head. Morris didn’t know how to respond and just looked at her. Should he be thankful for this?

And do people usually say such things?

“I’m just an ordinary second son of a noble family, you know?”

He tried saying it again, but Sigrid just smiled. Morris let out a deep sigh. Having nothing to say, he changed the subject.

“So, are you going to try to persuade Marie-Chez to apologize?”

“…I guess I should try?”

“What if you end up fighting?”

“Still, I want to try what I can do.”

“Alright, but don’t force it too much. An apology isn’t something that can be forced.”

“Okay.”

Sigrid nodded.

“Thanks, Morris. For discussing this with me.”

“I didn’t really say much, but sure. Oh, you said Marie-Chez agreed to sword practice too, right? How about scheduling a joint practice?”

“Would that be okay?”

“The atmosphere might be tense, but with these things, the longer you drag it out, the worse it gets.”

“I understand.”

Sigrid answered and stood up. Morris said, ‘Won’t you stay for lunch?’ but she politely declined and left.

She thought Morris needed a hangover cure more than a formal meal.

On her way out, she changed direction and headed to a store specializing in swords.

A sword with a blade nearly black in color was prominently displayed at the front of the store.

‘Berada steel…’

Sigrid didn’t even dare to ask the price. She went inside to look at the items, but whenever she liked something, the price would invariably skyrocket.

‘A true knight shouldn’t care about weapons, but…’

Sigrid gazed at the gleaming blades. Even so, being a swordswoman, she couldn’t help but desire good equipment.

‘I want to save as much money as possible now… Should I break into my savings? Or is there somewhere else I could get money— Ah.’

She remembered the dress Beramund had given her.

‘If I pawn that, wouldn’t I get some money? Is it wrong to pawn a gift? But I’ve worn it once to show him, and it’s mine now, so can’t I do what I want with it? If it doesn’t work out, I could always buy it back later…’

Sigrid thought as she left the store, saying, “Thank you. I’ve had a good look.”

‘Let’s just ask how much I could get at the pawnshop. Just ask.’

Sigrid returned to the mansion, replied “Just stopped by” to Arkana who asked “You’re back already?”, and quickly grabbed the dress Beramund had gifted her.

‘It looks expensive!’

It still looked expensive upon second glance. With this, I could buy a good sword!

Somehow, her mindset had shifted from ‘just asking’ to ‘let’s buy a sword!’

As Sigrid carefully placed the dress back into the box Beramund had given her and tucked it under her arm, excitedly heading towards the pawnshop—

“Siri?”

At the sound of the voice, Sigrid’s feet froze in place. How could the timing be like this?

Beramund, dressed in the Imperial Guard uniform, approached with his wine-colored cape fluttering.

“Wow— meeting like this on the street, could it be fate?”

Beramund approached with a grin, alternating his gaze between the large box under Sigrid’s arm—with its distinct logo—and the pawnshop sign just a few steps away.

“Hmm—?”

Beramund made an intriguing sound and smiled.

Feeling somehow guilty, Sigrid looked up at him nervously.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, you look fine. I was worried after you left like that the other day. Are you feeling alright?”

Sigrid nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. That time, suddenly, well…”

Beramund looked at the flustered Sigrid with great interest. It was refreshing to see her like this, after always seeing her with her head held high.

“So?”

“Yes?”

“So what brings you here?”

Sigrid glanced furtively at Beramund.

“Well…”

Beramund’s face said ‘Go on, tell me.’ Sigrid looked at the shiny gold cord decorations on his cape and said:

“To the pawnshop…”

“Uh-huh.”

“The dress…”

“The one I gave you?”

“Yes.”

At those words, Beramund was silent for a moment before laughing.

“I’m not a romantic who believes a woman will cherish or keep forever the gift I gave her, but a pawnshop? This is new.”

Beramund rubbed his chin.

“Do you need money urgently?”

At his different question, Sigrid shook her head vigorously. No. She had savings… Actually, she didn’t desperately need money—

“Then why?”

“I was going to buy a sword.”

“A sword?”

“My sword broke.”

“Ah.”

Beramund tilted his head and said briefly, “A sword, huh.” Sigrid quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. You gave it to me as a gift, and I was thoughtless. You must be displeased. When I saw a good sword, I just…”

“So you were going to pawn the dress and use that money to buy a sword?”

“Yes.”

Puhah, Beramund laughed again. As he laughed, he took the box from under Sigrid’s arm.

“I’ll buy it back.”

“What?”

Surprised, Sigrid’s eyes widened.

“Since I bought it, I know its value well, right? Were you going to pawn it? Or sell it?”

“I was planning to pawn it.”

“Then, alright— I’ll give you that price.”

“But—”

Is that okay?

Beramund grinned and grabbed Sigrid’s arm.

“Let’s go buy a sword.”

“No, but it was a gift you gave me, so buying it back is somewhat…”

“You were going to pawn it anyway, right? Whether you leave it with me or the pawnshop, it’s all the same, isn’t it?”

“Well…”

While Beramund’s words weren’t theoretically wrong, hearing them made Sigrid feel strange.

“Come on, let’s go. Before I look like a villain trying to pawn a woman’s dress, and you look like the victim trying to stop me.”

“Ah, that, yes.”

Sigrid felt odd but couldn’t find words to argue. In a daze, she was pulled along by Beramund towards the weapon shop. Upon arrival, the shop owner showed an extremely polite attitude towards Beramund in his Imperial Guard uniform.

“A sword for this person to use.”

Beramund pushed Sigrid forward with a thud. The shop owner smiled at her, remembering her visit earlier, and brought out a sword to show.

It had ornate flower decorations on the handle and holes in the middle of the blade to reduce weight. Sigrid shook her head.

“No, I prefer a sword with higher durability.”

“With your strength, this level of durability should be sufficient, ma’am.”

“No, this sword won’t withstand it.”

At Sigrid’s assertion, the shop owner looked at Beramund. He asked:

“Are you confident in your strength?”

“Yes.”

“Sig.”

“Yes?”

“Try it out.”

“But—”

“You said you’re confident. Try it now.”

Sigrid grasped the sword and swung it a few times. The sword made sharp whooshing sounds. The shop owner watched with satisfaction. Sigrid took a light breath and in one go, infused the sword with Aura.

“Aura…!”

The astonished shop owner exclaimed involuntarily. With a resonating hum, the blade began to vibrate violently. It was clear the sword couldn’t withstand it.

“I understand!!”

The shop owner raised his voice like a scream. Sigrid stopped the infusion and politely placed the sword back on the counter.

“I think I need a stronger sword.”

At Sigrid’s words, the shop owner looked at her and Beramund with reproachful eyes and said:

“If you had told me earlier…”

“She did say she needed something strong.”

Beramund smirked, and the shop owner swallowed a sigh before going inside to bring out another sword. A simple, reddish scabbard. Just by looking, one could tell it emphasized practicality, completely different from the previous one. When she drew the sword with its unadorned handle, a unique wavy pattern on the blue blade caught her eye.

“It’s not as good as Berada steel, but this one I’m confident about.”

The shop owner’s words were brief but exuded confidence.

“Let’s test it out.”

At his words, Sigrid swung the sword. The substantial weight, perfect balance, and even the degree of flexibility were to her liking. Finally, infusing it with Aura, Sigrid let out a groan.

‘Perfect.’

The Aura flowed quietly along the sword, as if pooling. Even as she gradually increased the amount of Aura, the sword only emitted a faint hum, remaining docile.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, this is— really amazing.”

Sigrid marveled as she sheathed the sword again.

‘But it’s probably expensive.’

It wasn’t a product hanging on the wall or displayed outside. Since he brought it out from inside, it surely wasn’t an ordinary price.

“How much is it?”

The shop owner put on a merchant’s face and quickly said:

“It seems to have found its perfect owner, so I’ll offer it at a special low price.”

When Sigrid looked at him with eyes that said ‘So?’, he held up five fingers.

“500,000 Kerbs.”

“5—”

Sigrid’s breath caught in her throat.

Her monthly salary was 16,000 Kerbs. If she saved all year, it would be 192,000 Kerbs.

This was about three years’ worth of her annual salary.

Moreover, she couldn’t say her salary was particularly low.

“We’ll take it.”

At Beramund’s words, Sigrid whirled to look at him. He grinned and said:

“It’s reasonable.”

Sigrid’s jaw dropped.

Did that mean the dress was that expensive?