Sigrid

“Right?”

Sigrid Ankertna smiled brightly. Morris Deforest vigorously rubbed his high-quality black hair. He simply couldn’t understand Sigrid. Sigrid said, “Ah.”

“By the way, would you like to come to my house sometime?”

“Why?”

“Um… would you like to… have tea… in the garden…?”

Sigrid struggled to get the words out. It was one of the things she had always wanted to do but hadn’t because it seemed too feminine.

A garden tea time.

“What garden does your house have?”

“I moved.”

Morris thought there was nothing left that could surprise him. For a moment, he was speechless. Sigrid continued:

“I moved to District 14 in the 2nd District. I’ve just finished organizing the house… If you can come, please do. Oh, should I send a formal invitation for this kind of thing?”

“……”

Morris stared at Sigrid with a dumbfounded expression. Now, doubt sprouted in his mind.

‘Is this really not Sigrid?’

Maybe a magician had transformed to infiltrate the knight order. Thinking he should discuss this with another knight, Morris smiled brightly.

“No, a verbal invitation is enough. When would be good?”

“Um, when are you free?”

“How about this weekend?”

“Okay, let’s meet then.”

“Sure.”

After saying goodbye, Morris carefully watched as Sigrid pulled on the reins of her horse, Echo. Animals are sensitive to presence, so Echo might show signs of rejecting her. But Echo snorted happily as if greeting its owner and followed Sigrid’s hand out of the stable. Sigrid lightly mounted the saddle.

“Then, Morris, see you later.”

“See you.”

Sigrid disappeared from his sight, her blue cloak fluttering lightly.

“A horse thief?”

Morris turned around at the voice from behind. There stood Kaul, the youngest member of the 2nd Knight Order.

“No, it’s Sigrid.”

“Lady Ankertna?! That knight just now?”

Kaul’s eyes widened in surprise. Morris rubbed the back of his neck vigorously and said:

“Yeah.”

“But why is she wearing clothes like that?”

Morris chuckled at the dumbfounded voice.

“How should I know?”

“I wonder if she suddenly came into a lot of money…?”

“She’s always earned a lot. How long has she been a knight?”

“No, but I thought she was extremely poor. Living in the 3rd District, and the clothes she wore looked like something a stable hand would wear… Maybe she paid off her debts?”

“She’s not someone who lived like that because she was poor.”

“Then why?”

Kaul was puzzled. If not because of poverty, why would she live like that?

“She lives like that because she thinks it’s right.”

“…Why is that right?”

“Because knights should be frugal.”

“She’s a strange person.”

Kaul, who had only joined the knight order 6 months ago, had simply thought of Sigrid as a poor and strict female knight.

“Yeah, she’s strange.”

Morris said the same words, but he didn’t mean the same thing as Kaul.

People’s thoughts and behavior patterns don’t change so easily. They shouldn’t change overnight like that. Feeling increasingly suspicious, Morris made his way to the knight order.

The 2nd Knight Order consisted of 15 knights in total. Although they acted individually unless it was a summoning day, they still had to fulfill basic attendance days, so three or four members were usually in the knight order.

Today’s attendance members were Morris, Alkerto, Kaul, and Sarid.

“Alkerto.”

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Did you see Sigrid today?”

“No? She’s on vacation, isn’t she?”

“She just came and took her horse.”

“She’s probably just taking it out for exercise.”

“No, she took it to her house.”

“Does she have a stable there?”

As Alkerto tilted his head and muttered, Morris dropped a bombshell:

“She said she bought a house. In the 2nd District.”

At those words, silence fell over the waiting room. Sarid, who had been tending to his sword, looked up.

“What did you say?”

“She said she bought a house. Sigrid. In the 2nd District. And she invited me for tea in the garden this weekend.”

Alkerto quickly closed his gaping mouth and asked:

“She bought a house? In the 2nd District? Sigrid?”

“Yeah, and she was wearing nice clothes. Even had a cloak on.”

Sarid, whose skin was darker than others due to his mixed foreign blood, tilted his head and then focused back on tending his sword as he said:

“Looks like she’s come to her senses.”

Alkerto shook his head vigorously and said:

“Her senses? No, Sig acting like this means she’s lost her mind. Isn’t she like a dorm mother who nags at us when we buy anything slightly expensive and complains about wasting knight order supplies? I mean, I thought she was a bit strange. I thought so, but……”

Can a person change that much?

“Maybe she’s got a terminal illness?”

At Alkerto’s mutter, Morris looked at him with a “Ha!”

That makes sense.

The sudden long vacation, recklessly spending saved money, honestly acknowledging his words—it all seemed like actions of someone with a terminal illness.

“Maybe……”

Thinking about it that way, it also explained why she had been acting strange that night, even breaking curfew. Anyone would be like that if they received news that they had a terminal illness.

Even Sigrid Ankertna is human after all.

Morris sighed. Alkerto also rested his chin on his hand with a gloomy expression. After pondering for a while, Morris said:

“Should we try to find out?”

“Doesn’t she not want us to know?”

At Alkerto’s words, Morris groaned, “Well, that’s true, but still.” Love grows even in bickering relationships, it seems… Alkerto continued:

“By the way, does she have any family?”

“No.”

Sarid spoke up, causing Alkerto and Morris to turn to him, but Sarid continued without taking his eyes off his sword:

“I heard she’s an orphan.”

Those words made the two even more depressed. Morris said:

“But the fact that she invited us for tea time, doesn’t that mean she wants to get closer to people? I feel awkward going alone, anyone want to come with me?”

“I’ll pass.”

Sarid answered firmly, and Alkerto raised his hand.

“I’ll go with you.”

After all, they were the only two commoner-born knights in the order. He couldn’t help but be concerned. Plus, their recent conversation was on his mind. Morris nodded.

Of course, completely unaware of such discussions going on in the knight order, Sigrid cantered cheerfully down the road. Public carriages that saw her attire stopped and waited for her to pass first, and it was indeed a novel experience. She had always had to endure carriage drivers cutting in or hurling coarse insults—when she wasn’t in uniform.

‘So everyday clothes like this are fine, not just the uniform.’

Sigrid returned home.

After thoroughly brushing Echo and mixing hay with oats for him, Sigrid changed her clothes and returned to sit under the tree in the garden, immersing herself in meditation. The amount of Aura gathering gradually increased.

It was quite an achievement to be three years ahead of schedule, as she had become an Aura user at 23 in her previous life.

She was currently 20 years old.

Even when she first used Aura at 23 before returning to the past, she had been called a genius, so if people found out she was an Aura user now, she would receive tremendous attention. That’s why Sigrid didn’t want to reveal it. If she were known as an Aura user, the Imperial Guard would certainly offer her a position, but Sigrid hadn’t made up her mind yet.

She decided to keep it hidden for as long as possible—as long as she could conceal it.

Sting-

‘Ouch.’

She felt a small pain in her chest area. Sigrid stopped meditating and gently touched the area between her solar plexus and chest with her fingertips. She felt something pointed and protruding.

“An Aura Core… it’s already emerged.”

Part of the Aura Core that had solidified inside her body was meant to protrude outside the body as well. It could appear anywhere on the body, but usually on the back of the hand, forehead, solar plexus, or nape of the neck.

Because it sparkled like a jewel, it was also called a Sword Jewel. Most people just called it an Aura Core, though. At first, it was small like a dot, but as more Aura was gathered, the core would gradually grow larger and its color would deepen.

Her core was the same crimson color as her eyes. Right now it was barely visible, like a dot, but with consistent cultivation, it would gradually reveal itself, eventually becoming like a diamond-shaped ruby.

Sigrid smiled, thinking it was fortunate that it was in a place invisible to others.

Swordsmanship was enjoyable.

This was the one thing she couldn’t give up. She could proudly say she loved it very much. Whenever swordsmanship became more familiar to her body, when she mastered a move that she couldn’t do before, when she became accustomed to handling Aura, she experienced unparalleled joy. It was a pure joy of her own that she couldn’t share with anyone else.

She placed her hand over the core on her chest.

Remembering the terrible pain and despair of having this core forcibly excavated, Sigrid shuddered as if chilled. She didn’t want to experience that again.

‘I should definitely avoid the Imperial Guard.’

Staying in the 2nd Knight Order would probably be the best option. Or anywhere else that would allow her to avoid the Imperial Guard-

‘But I can’t quit being a knight.’

If she quit being a knight, she would have nothing to do. She would return to being just an ordinary, powerless girl. That was absolutely unacceptable.

‘It’s okay, as long as I’m not discovered, it’s okay.’

Sigrid thought this as she caught her breath. Hadn’t she changed her entire lifestyle—her food, clothing, and shelter—to change the direction of her life?

Sigrid went into the kitchen and put a kettle on the stove. With trembling hands, she put a spoonful of high-grade tea—worth a whole can of the cheap tea she used to buy—into the teapot. She didn’t know how to properly prepare tea or make it taste good, nor did she feel it was worth learning. Although she used the tea leaves sparingly, the aroma of the expensive tea was excellent, and there was no astringency. Sigrid sipped the tea, savoring a small pleasure.

‘Should I buy white sugar next time?’

It was much more expensive than brown sugar, but she had always wanted to try it.

Of course, as always, she had refrained from eating it, thinking ‘Brown sugar is enough for a knight. White sugar is a luxury.’ Now, even to herself, such thoughts seemed a bit ridiculous.

‘My perception of money seems to be changing a bit.’

‘Next time, I’ll buy white sugar,’ Sigrid noted mentally. The previous homeowner must have been well-off, having bought a house in the 2nd District, as even the tableware was quite high-quality. While plates and bowls remained, unsurprisingly, not a single piece of silver cutlery was left, so she took the plunge and ordered a set of silver knives, forks, and spoons instead of wooden ones. The price made her hands tremble automatically, but considering she got the porcelain tableware for free, it wasn’t such a bad purchase.

‘It’s just troublesome to manage…’

The only annoyance was having to polish and store them to prevent tarnishing.

The teacup and teapot she was using now were also left behind, and they were quite excellent items. The high-quality teacup with a thin gold rim was so light it was almost surprising.

‘It feels like a dollhouse somehow.’

When she was young, she had seen a large dollhouse in the shopping street. It was a big, beautiful dollhouse that she could never have. Of course, Sigrid had never owned a doll either.

‘Come to think of it…’

Suddenly, she recalled a corncob. She used to wrap a dried corncob in an old handkerchief and carry it around, calling it a doll. She even gave it a name…

‘I can’t remember.’

She had cherished it quite a bit, but she couldn’t remember. She saw the dollhouse while running errands from the orphanage. Walking down the shopping street holding her corncob doll, she came across the splendid dollhouse. The small, intricately made furniture, wall decorations, the structure of the mansion, copper pots in the kitchen, low cabinets, a sparkling palm-sized bed, carpet…

Sigrid’s feet were glued to the spot. And there was a porcelain doll perfectly suited to that dollhouse, wearing a gorgeous dress, sitting in an armchair in the reception room. A girl about her age coming out of that shop looked at Sigrid and laughed, then flaunted her marten fur muff and burgundy dress. The porcelain doll in a dress that the girl was holding. And then she ran away.

‘I had completely forgotten about that.’

That corncob doll was eventually discovered by the orphanage director and thrown into the fireplace. She had cried her heart out then. Sigrid looked around.

‘It does look similar.’

It really did seem very similar to the house she had seen then. Sigrid smiled faintly.

‘Should I go buy a marten fur muff?’

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Morris and Alkerto got out of the carriage and gaped. Alkerto shook his head and asked:

“Does Sig really live here?”

“…The address on the invitation is correct.”

It was a perfect middle-class mansion that wouldn’t be out of place anywhere. Of course, it paled in comparison to the mansions of titled nobles, but for a commoner’s house, it was quite impressive. The two opened the smoothly swinging iron gate, walked through the neat garden to the front door, and knocked using the door knocker.

After a moment, the door swung open wide.

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

“Thank you for inviting us.”

Sigrid invited the two in with an awkward smile. Even at home, she was still in a shirt and pants, but the clothes were clearly of better quality. Even Alkerto could notice the change in her clothes. The glittering ornament pinned in her neatly braided hair caught their eyes. Noticing the accessory in Sigrid’s hair from behind, Alkerto nudged Morris’s side, and Morris nodded.

Having reached the living room, Sigrid opened the terrace door leading to the backyard and said:

“This is my first tea party, so I’m not sure about a lot of things, but thank you for coming.”

The terrace table was simply set with a tea set and napkins. It wasn’t quite the atmosphere of a full-fledged tea party, but the two men actually preferred it that way.

Morris and Alkerto looked around the house briefly, then realized there were no servants to take their cloaks or coats. As they took off their outerwear themselves, they scanned the surroundings.

Seeing a coat rack near the entrance where outerwear was hung, the two quickly went back and hung their outer garments. Alkerto said in a low voice:

“Don’t tell me Sig lives here alone?”

“Seems like it?”

Morris also replied in a low voice.

‘Then who does the housework?’

Both men thought this simultaneously but didn’t voice it. Sigrid had Morris and Alkerto sit down and said:

“Thank you for coming. I’ll bring the tea right away.”

Oh.

Morris was taken aback. A moment later, Sigrid, the actual homeowner, began pouring the tea herself. After she finished pouring and sat down, Morris said:

“Um, Sig.”

“Yes?”

“Do you… not have a maid or something?”

“No.”

Hiring a maid was too much. Not just the money, but she had no idea how to hire someone or what tasks to assign them. Morris looked at Sigrid seriously and said:

“How do you manage all the housework by yourself? This house is quite large.”

“Well, that’s true, but……”

And with your health condition.

Swallowing the last part, Morris said to Sigrid:

“If it’s because of the cost of hiring……”

Would she get angry if I offer to pay? Morris hesitated. Alkerto, sipping his tea, said:

“How about borrowing one of Morris’s maids?”

“Huh?”

As Sigrid’s eyes widened in surprise, Morris clapped his knee.

“That would work. Even if just for a while during the day.”

“But that would double their work. No, if I’m going to do it, I should hire someone myself.”

Sigrid said this, then hesitated before opening her mouth again.

“But, um. I have no idea how to go about hiring someone……”