Chapter 73

The barrier magic had not even activated; it had stopped just before that.

"---Thank you very much."

Lewis, after a bead of sweat ran down his temple, let out a deep breath and smiled.

"You're strong, Noah."

"......It was an honor to spar with you."

Noah lowered his sword and bowed deeply. Then, he noticed that he had been gripping his sword tighter than necessary. It seemed he had been more engrossed in the sparring match than he had realized.

"Both of you are amazing!"

The sound of small hands clapping echoed.

Claudia walked over and made Noah kneel before her. She then patted Noah's head affectionately.

"Good job, Noah. You did well."

"......"

Hearing those words, Noah closed his eyes.

"Your praise is too much. Thank you."

"Hehe."

Claudia turned around and ran to Lewis.

"Lord Lewis, you were amazing too!"

"Hehe, I can't match Noah. I must have shown you an unimpressive side, Claudia."

"No! You see, the only person in Abinoia who can spar with Noah for more than a minute is Karlheinz!"

"Really? Still, I have a lot more to improve."

Lewis also knelt and took Claudia's hand, smiling.

"Will you cheer for me, Claudia?"

"Sure! Lord Lewis, do your best!"

"Thank you."

Hearing Claudia's words, Lewis smiled as if his heart was about to burst.

He looked at Claudia with a loving gaze, as if he had finally obtained a treasure he had longed for.

Noah couldn't help but stare at the scene.

"......"

A few seconds later, he suddenly came to his senses.

"Noah."

"......Yes."

Claudia, who had returned, extended both hands, and Noah picked her up as she implicitly requested. Noah's role was to serve as Claudia's servant.

Claudia, lifted gently, looked down at Noah from a slightly higher position.

"Princess?"

"......"

Claudia's eyes were a very pale golden citrine, the same color as when she was the legendary witch, even though she was pretending to be a child. Occasionally, she couldn't hide her alluring and mature expression.

This was one of those moments.

Claudia, with the sun at her back, observed Noah and smiled with some intention.

"......Hmm?"

"......?"

What had she seen through just now?

He wanted to ask, but this wasn't the expression of an eight-year-old princess. He decided it was a conversation he couldn't have in front of Lewis and suggested to Claudia:

"Princess, it seems warmer than expected today. Would you like to change your dress?"

This way, he could step away from Lewis for a moment. Claudia, as if praising Noah, gently patted his head. But then, she shook her head.

"No, I don't want to change!"

"!"

Claudia wanted to get down, so Noah, surprised, gently placed her on the ground.

"Claudia, I'm going to have another piece of cake with Lord Lewis!"

"Oh, that's great if you enjoyed it."

"This time, I'll have chocolate cake because I was full earlier."

"Hehe, sure. I'll have it prepared right away. ...Noah?"

Lewis smiled kindly, and Noah bowed politely.

"---Just the thought. I'll help prepare the tea."

While saying this, he glanced at his lord, who was happily singing a cake song, and narrowed his eyes.

***

"No. ...No, no, no!"

In the frozen silver-white garden, Stuart was mixing his paintbrushes haphazardly. He knew this method would damage the bristles, but his frustration had no outlet, and his impatience overpowered him.

"This isn't beautiful enough. It's far from perfect..."

On the large wall, the figure of a woman was painted. With hair the color of milk tea and eyes the color of melted honey, she was a person etched deeply in Stuart's mind.

"......Lady Adelheid..."

Just uttering her name made joy and strength well up from the depths of his heart.

"That perfect beauty, that's what my garden needs... If I could capture it, maybe I could be saved this time. Ah, but this is still no good."

He gripped the area around his heart through his many layers of clothing.

"My skills aren't enough to confine Lady Adelheid in a painting."

His hollow eyes gazed into the distance, somewhere far away.

"......Lady Adelheid. Please, give me salvation..."

***

To be continued in Chapter 3