C148
Matisse. If I had to describe his personality in "Return and Walk on a Path of Flowers" in one word, it would be this.
A fool who only knows his benefactor and his sword skills.
I've been curious, even a little, for a while.
What would be the result of removing the goddess's blessing from a fool who only knows Liena and swordplay?
The results were now before my eyes.
"My heart is already racing as I imagine meeting the Sword Saint! Ah, maybe I can finally capture the skill that has reached the level of a god in these two eyes!"
The fool, who only knew how to handle a sword, clasped his hands to his chest and shouted.
"I never thought my prediction would be exactly right."
Now, I analyze the process that led to this situation.
Tara followed my request and brought Matisse, who had returned to the imperial palace, to the annex.
At first, Matisse vehemently refused to talk to me, but when I mentioned the story of the Sword Saint, he sat down even though he doubted its truth.
For your information, it is true that he respects the Sword Saint and wants to become his disciple through "Return and Walk on a Path of Flowers."
In the novel, Liena tracks down Matisse's whereabouts to make his dream come true and forge a friendship with the Sword Saint but ends up in vain.
This is because the Sword Saint, who did not want to be associated with the secular world, was completely solitary.
"Well, it wouldn't make sense for Liena to easily find the best swordsman on this continent."
If that were possible, many powerful people coveting the Sword Saint's skills would have found him first.
However, the main character is the main character, and Liena has a chance to meet such a genius in the second half of the novel.
During the monster wave, the Sword Saint appeared to save people from the great disaster that struck the empire due to the influence of the awakened evil spirit.
As the representative of the goddess, the Sword Saint actively assists Liena in her efforts to defeat the evil spirit and also trains Matisse as an additional benefit.
After the evil spirit is sealed again for some reason, Liena tries to send Matisse to the Sword Saint. However.
"Definitely, the dream I had when I was young was to become the official disciple of the Sword Saint."
In the novel, Matisse suddenly kneels before Liena and says something.
"But my dream now is Lady Liena herself. Who saved the world! I will definitely become a Sword Saint with my own strength beside the young lady, so please watch over me in the future."
It was a touching scene that showed Matisse's sincere loyalty, as even his dreams changed towards Liena. Until I knew the truth about the Goddess's blessings.
Even without the blessing, Liena was Matisse's benefactor.
She provided considerable support to Matisse, who, due to poverty, could not afford to buy a proper sword.
"But is it worth giving up your unique dream in life?"
Becoming a disciple of the Sword Saint doesn't mean your connection with Liena will be severed, right?
Above all, if you liked Liena so much, all you had to do was study with the Sword Saint and then return to Cassius.
So, after releasing the blessing on Matisse, I decided to throw the bait of "Where does the Sword Saint currently reside."
I knew that the place where the Sword Saint currently resides is a forest located at the southern end of the Soro Kingdom because it appeared in the novel.
For your information, the Soro Kingdom was the place where I bought a house to move to after my divorce.
"As it has swordsmen, it is the safest country after the empire during the monster wave."
It's not that I wanted to make that place my new home without any reason.
Well, that's another story now.
Matisse seemed skeptical, but his expression changed when I presented him with a newspaper article.
It was an article from a small newspaper in the Soro Kingdom published a few years ago, containing information that several monsters had been killed en masse in the southern forest.
It was an incident that was buried without receiving much attention because the Soro Kingdom was on the outskirts of the continent and it was not an incredibly rare event...
Matisse murmured quietly after carefully reading the brief article.
"Ah, dark blue scars remained on the corpses of the monsters. It's similar to the characteristics of his sword skill."
The swordsman who revered the Sword Saint did not miss the mentioned content in passing in the article.
"I have to go check it out immediately!"
Matisse, who had a simple character, quickly became excited and did not hesitate to make decisions.
There were no signs of hesitation or doubt for the sake of Liena.
In the novel, the man Liena dreamed of seemed somewhat disappointed as he checked the ferry ticket I gave him.
"I wanted to bid farewell to Lady Liena in person before leaving, but the ship's departure time is approaching, so there's no other way."
The fact that he considered Liena his benefactor was no different from before, but he did not show blind loyalty that he would give up his dreams to be by her side.
I told him, feeling once again the fear of the blessing.
"It's the last ship to the Soro Kingdom this month, so if you miss it, you'll have to wait quite a while."
"It's not a place with much interaction with the empire, but I didn't expect there to be so few ships."
Matisse's words were correct.
Indeed, there were several more ships to the Soro Kingdom, but I canceled them with Terence's help.
"I'm sorry to those who wanted to go to the Soro Kingdom. If only Matisse goes, we'll quickly restore it to its previous state."
I swallowed the words of apology in my heart.
This was the only way to make Matisse leave without encountering Liena.
Matisse quickly got up from his seat because it was already too late to catch the train to board the ship that would depart the day after tomorrow.
He wanted to reach the Sword Saint as soon as possible, so there was no time to linger any longer.
"Tara, I'm sorry, but I want you to inform the lady. I'll write a letter later."
After learning from Tara that Liena was enjoying her time with her family, Matisse made no attempt to meet her.
"Please leave it to me."
"Ah, these are the precious artifacts I received from her, but now that I'm leaving, I'll have to return them."
Matisse took out the artifacts he used to carry from his bag and handed them over.
Of course, among them was an artifact in the shape of a mirror connected to Liena's red ribbon.
"All right then. I'll definitely return this favor at any time."
Matisse left the reception hall of the villa with light steps, leaving a brief farewell.
Would it be my mistake to say that the back of his face looked cheerful for some reason?
Perhaps the longing for a dream he had suppressed until now had finally been released.
I looked at myself in the mirror Tara gave me.
After a while, the mirror began to glow and vibrate. It was a signal from Liena.
"When this signal came before, I was surprised because I thought Matisse would see it."
Tara smiled and responded to my words.
"My hands were a step faster."
Tara, who saw the light coming from the bag Matisse left on the floor, quickly took out the mirror and left the hall, pretending to bring more tea.
Then, when the signal ceased, she returned and put it back in Matisse's bag.
Matisse, absorbed in the newspaper article and the story of the Sword Saint, didn't notice.
Matisse was superior to Tara in terms of strength, but Tara was superior in stealth.
As I watched Tara, I remembered a conversation I had with her before.
I told her the truth about Liena's disappearance and asked if she would cooperate.
From now on, what Tara will do for me goes beyond simply repaying the favor for helping her seek revenge.
This was to corner Liena seriously, Liena, who was Tara's benefactor and teacher.
"... I owe Miss Liena in many ways. But I can't let her use that black magic anymore."
Tara thought for a moment and responded to my question.
"It manipulates people's will and creates strange human relationships. I really didn't feel it when it affected me, but I felt it vividly while watching the young lady closely over the past few days."
Tara said she felt sorry, especially when she saw Mikhail, who loved Liena so much, in conflict with her.
Seeing that even Matisse was leaving without delay, her thoughts seemed to have become firmer.
"Just as Ethel woke me up from black magic, I also want to save others from black magic."
I thought of Liena, recalling the words Tara had said with determination.
"Liena, don't get too angry."
All of this was the result of the blessings that Liena had used until now.
I asked Tara to come in, and then I told Laura to prepare some new refreshments.
The next schedule was waiting for me.
As many people were affected by Liena's blessing, there was no time to lose.
When the agreed-upon time arrived, the door to the hall opened with the sound of heavy footsteps.
"Viscountess Lucibiu! Will you really do that?"
The visitor this time was Duchess Luciano, former princess and passionate follower of Liena.
"Hello. If it's okay with you, please come and sit."
I welcomed her sweetly, although I was very angry.
Duchess Luciano sat in front of me, clearly showing that she was upset.
"Terence said it. If I want to get magic stones, I have to come to you."
"Is that so? I suppose the imperial family doesn't have enough to use at the moment."
According to what I heard from Terence yesterday, Duchess Luciano first sent a letter saying she would visit today.
What reason would there be to visit a nephew who was normally ignored for being an illegitimate son? Of course, there was nothing else but magic stones.
I asked Terence to tell me openly when she came.
So, given her impulsive personality, it was obvious that she wouldn't be able to restrain herself and would jump towards me immediately.
"How the hell did you attract my nephew like that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Aren't you here to buy magic stones?"
When I hinted that she was the one who needed something from me at the moment, her face turned red.
"So what do you want from me? I guess you were childish and didn't respond to my husband's letter because you had something to expect."
"There's something I desire. One thing."
"An apology? You want me to apologize?"
"No. I'd like you to invite me to a group."
I mentioned the name of a certain group.
Then the duchess's face filled with astonishment.
"H-How that group...?"
Because that group was a secret group known only by a very small number of people.
"Let me say it again. Please invite me to Redpal."
Redpal. It was an abbreviation for "Gathering of People Who Love Liena."