The Sword and The Shadow

The Crestfallen Eirinn

Even after a long time had passed, Eirinn still couldn't figure out what happened between Leguna and Annelotte. But at the very least, she knew that the other servants of the manor were also unaware.

Though, there was one thing they would never forget: a loud boom came from their mistress's room before it collapsed. Leguna ran out of it with a never-before-seen haggard look as he screamed something loudly.

However, nobody could hear what he said. It was far too noisy.

The source of the noise came from Annelotte, who had turned into a human mana tornado. She chased him halfway through Melindor. Kanjiras had been chased through two whole streets of the city by his father, and now, Leguna topped that record ten times over. It had become a new joke and legend in Melindor.

Thankfully, she still knew how to exercise control in her raging fury. At the very least, she didn't harm innocent civilians despite using numerous spells. The only building she destroyed was her own quarters.

Whether the poor civilians were terrified, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

Interestingly, Melindor Daily printed an exclusive edition to cover that event. The issue not only detailed the 'Raging Pursuit of the Glacial Empress', it also had a ten-thousand-word-long 'expose' about Leguna and Annelotte's relationship.

The article wrote that he had used some underhanded method to grab hold of her weakness to force her to help him and also let him take advantage of her often. The reason she went on a rampage that day was probably due to him going too far.

When the issue was published, almost all the men in Melindor were infuriated. The streets were filled with people openly challenging Leguna to a fight or going to the bureau to flatten it with a bunch of other like-minded fellows. Had Melindor's city guard not suppressed them properly, the fine and just brothers who wanted to seek justice for their goddess would've marched into the palace to demand Larwin to remove Leguna from his post.

The protest wasn't held in the end and the angered men scattered soon after as they didn't have the protection of any large group.

It was a particular quality of city folk. When a certain opinion became mainstream, the others would chime in vocally to support it, as if they were so loyal to the cause that they would be willing to give everything to fight for it. But when it died out of the mainstream, they would scatter and vanish like bubbles and stop voicing their support entirely.

There was no principle they steadfastly held, or rather, there was one rule they would always follow. They would only stand out to be the hero if they wouldn't stand to lose anything by doing so. Interestingly, they would feel proud and rapturous about fighting for their cause.

Initially, Leguna was quite mad after reading the special edition. He had been letting his anger fester when he heard the comments of those who demanded justice for Annelotte. He felt the urge to just paste a sign on his head to tell everyone he was Dark Requiem for those that claimed they would challenge him, yet not half a soul actually challenged him.

He was incredibly troubled with nowhere to vent his frustrations.

Given Annelotte's power, it was really easy for her to deal with him. Despite not using her full power, she was still able to beat him up good. Coupled with the furniture she threw his way, he would have to get immediate treatment if he wanted to make sure he wouldn't stay disfigured.

That afternoon, he went to Eirinn's infirmary with black eyes and bruises and scratches all over him. There were also two full palm prints on his face.

Innilis was there when he entered and she couldn't recognize him in his sorry state. She immediately got into dictation stance and yelled, "What kind of monster is this?! Why haven't I read about this race before?"

……

Only after explaining so much till his lips cracked did he manage to convince the two girls of who he was. He then begged her to heal his wounds.

"Ack…" He gasped from the pain. "Eirinn, be gentler! This is my face!"

"Hmph! So you actually still have one? I thought you'd lost it all!" Innilis said. The lass didn't feel the least bit bad for his suffering. Instead, she seemed really glad about it.

The story about him being chased through the city had long spread far and wide. While they weren't too sure about the details, they knew that he definitely deserved what he got.

"Innie, how can you say that?!"

Though he felt a little guilty, he believed he had to defend what was left of his dignity.

"Big Bro, why were you at Sis Annie's this morning? Sis Alaine told me you spent the whole night in Sis' room."

"Ouch!"

The disinfectant dab on his face was suddenly pierced by a nail. He shot Eirinn a careful glance and noticed her face grinning. While she didn't say a word, he could tell she wasn't in a good mood.

"Since I have no class tonight, let's hear it!" Innilis said with a face full of smiles. She was in the infirmary for her scheduled checkup and didn't think she would bump into him there.

"Hear what?" His sweat began to form, but he decided to feign ignorance.

"Did you spend the night in Sis Annie's room?" she asked.

"Yes… I did…"

He knew he couldn't hide it for long, so he might as well own up to it.

"Ouch…"

Eirinn applied even more force.

"So… Did you do something to her?" she asked, obviously dissatisfied.

"Ummm…" He hesitated for a moment and decided to come clean. "I can't say nothing happened, but not everything did."

"Did you kiss?"

"We did."

"Touch?"

"Yeah, that too."

"Did it feel good to grab?"

"It was amazing!"

The mere recollection of yesterday's experience caused his blood to boil. But soon, he noticed something off. Innilis had stopped speaking.

"Umm… Innie, I…"

"It's okay…"

She forced herself to smile.

"Huh?!"

He had expected he would be given hell the whole night by her teeth.

"If… If it's Sis Annie, then it's fine. She deserves it. I have no right to be jealous."

"Hey! It was only touching and kissing! It's not like I haven't done the same to you!"

"You don't have to console me, Big Bro. I was the one who caused Sis Annie to lose her memories. You could've gotten closer to her much faster if that hadn't happened. You only took so long to get to third base because of me…"

"Hey! Where did you learn that term?!" Leguna shouted, his ears nearly falling off his head, "What in the world is Annie's academy teaching you kids?!"

"I'm not surprised she got mad at you. You pushed her down while she was drunk, after all."

"I didn't push her down!!!"

"But you know what her temper is l-- Wait, you didn't push her down?! You're lying!"

"I didn't! Do I really look like such a slimy person?!"

She stared at him seriously

"…No--"

"--There!"

So she was the one that understood him the best.

"--You look much worse."

His jaw dropped.

"How many times do I have to say it?!?! I. Didn't. Push. Annie. Down! You can ask her yourself if you don't believe me!"

"You want me to ask her? Are you trying to get me killed?"

"But I didn't!!!"

"Really?"

"Really! I swear on my dignity!"

"So you did after all…"

Just as he was fussing over how to prove it, Eirinn finished the treatment. She put down her tools.

"Done."

"Thanks, Eirinn."

"I… I am unwell. I'm going to take a break. Call me if another patient comes."

She left before anyone could answer.

"You should go talk to her," Innilis whispered seriously.