'I finished eating. I'm going back.'
Saki left her bowls in the bucket and went back into the dojo.
Eri and I remained at the outdoor table.
'How's the food, Eri?'
'HA!'
Saki's voice rang out from the dojo.
'Acceptable for this lord.'
Just as I was about to get up and clean the dishes, Eri suddenly walked over and gathered the dishes for me.
'Thanks, Eri.'
'Hmph. It is the lord's duty to care for her people.'
She placed the dirty dishes in the bucket and carried it over to a water tap.
'Do not worry, my servant. This lord shall clean them all.'
She twisted the knob with all her might, and water began to pour into the bucket.
'Are you sure?'
'Of course.'
She nodded and squatted down beside it.
'Thank you.'
Rising, I glanced at the darkening sky.
'Hey, Eri. I'm going to talk to Saki.'
'…'
She gave me a small wave.
I slid open the dojo door and stepped inside.
—————————————
Saki was still swinging her bokken, but her movements were already heavy with fatigue.
'This is exactly what I mean by overworking yourself.' I kept my voice gentle. 'Can you stop for a second?'
'…'
She kept swinging.
'Saki.'
Her bokken lowered to her side and her hands were shaking.
'Saki?'
Once I got close enough, she finally turned to face me, eyes swollen.
'I'm… I'm sorry…'
The bokken slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.
'I'm sorry… Hina.'
She collapsed to her knees, tears dripping onto the wooden boards.
'Please… don't leave me…'
'Saki.'
I crouched beside her.
'Hi… na.'
She had fallen asleep. Most likely from sheer exhaustion.
I walked over to the corner of the dojo, rolled out a futon and then carefully laid her down on it. After that, I channelled a little bit of mana into her body to help her recover faster.
'Rest well, Saki.'
Leaving Saki, I checked on Eri.
'How are you doing?'
A few dishes were already stacked in a dry bucket.
'Almost done, my servant.'
'Here, let me help.'
I squatted beside her and started washing the dishes.
After a few minutes, the dishes were done.
'Let's dry them.'
I picked up the dry bucket and carried it back into the dojo.
Eri and I placed the dishes onto the drying rack.
'Is the Swordfish Knight okay?' Eri asked.
'Yeah. She is just sleeping.'
Eri glanced at Saki with worry before turning back to the dishes.
The mood felt heavy, so I tried to lighten it by changing the subject.
'How do you think you did on your test?'
'Hehehe.' She nudged her glasses. 'Of course this lord aced it.'
'Then let's see once the results are posted.'
Once the dishes were finished, we took turns showering and brushing our teeth in the makeshift bathroom.
Eri changed into her dark attire.
'Good night… yawn… my servant.'
'Good night, Eri.'
She lay down on her futon and curled up beneath the blanket.
I wasn't tired yet, so I stepped outside and sat down to enjoy the night breeze.
'Looks like it's going to rain.'
I closed my eyes. An hour went by and that was when the dojo door slid open behind me.
Step.
Step.
'Saki. Come sit down.'
She froze.
After standing there for a few seconds, she drifted over and sat on a nearby chair.
'…'
'…'
We sat in silence. The only sound between us was the chirping of crickets.
'Saki.'
She didn't respond. She just kept staring into the distance.
'Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Hina?'
She lifted her eyes to the sky, watching the clouds.
'Am… I wrong?' She muttered quietly.
I followed her gaze to the clouds.
'Why don't you explain what you mean?'
Saki closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
'That I want to become stronger.'
'…'
She gradually opened her eyes and looked down at her hands.
'So… so I can protect them better.'
The answer needed care.
'Your goal isn't wrong. If anything, it's admirable. But… your approach is wrong.'
'…'
Her hands slowly tightened into fists.
'How is my approach wrong?' Her voice sharpened. 'Care to explain what I'm doing wrong?'
'Maybe you should calm down, Saki—'
'Don't tell me to calm down!' She shot out of her chair. 'You don't know what it's like!'
I said nothing.
Her hand twisted in her shirt. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
'I almost lost them. If I'd been stronger… then maybe it never would've happened.'
'…'
The sound of her breathing filled the night, uneven and ragged.
I held out a tissue.
'Here.'
She stared at it for a moment before taking it.
As she blew her nose, I spoke up.
'Like I said, wanting to protect them isn't wrong.' I stood up. 'But how you're going about it is.'
I moved toward the pond, giving both of us room.
'Training harder and refusing to let your body rest won't make you stronger faster. There has to be balance.'
'What if someone stronger comes, huh?! Then what?!' She shouted. 'Don't I need to be stronger if I want to protect them?!'
Quietly, I thought back to a similar argument I once had with Chad Prince.
'Saki.' I faced her. 'You're not alone. If there's something you can't do by yourself, then you can rely on me.'
'Rely on you?'
The corner of her mouth twitched upward.
'Then where were you, huh?'
She took a step forward.
'What were you doing?!'
Her fists trembled.
'How can I rely on someone who ran away!'
'…'
I met her glare without looking away.
'I can't deny that I wasn't there when you all needed me, and I'm not going to make excuses for that. But I want you to know this now. You can trust me. I'll be there for all of you.'
'Trust you?'
A sword appeared in her hand.
Slowly, she raised it and pointed the blade at me.
'You think I'd believe that coming from someone who ran away?'
Her grip tightened.
'Don't mistake me for an idiot. I'm not stupid enough to fall for your lies.'
I glanced at the tip of her blade. The distance between us was still wide.
'What are you going to do with that sword?'
She lowered herself into a stance.
'I'm going to show you…' Her eyes sharpened. 'That I can become stronger without you!'
She dashed forward and swung without hesitation.
*SWOOSH!*
The blade sliced past me, but she didn't stop.
'You think this is some kind of joke?!' She yelled as she swung. 'Fight me already!'
I kept dodging, and that only made her more frustrated.
She sped up and projected another sword behind me, trying to catch me off guard.
Seeing her like this hurt, so I put an end to it.
'That's enough, Saki.'
I drove my fist into the sword and shattered it.
Better one hard stop now than letting her destroy herself further.
She made another instantly.
'You need to calm down.'
I drove my knee into her stomach.
'GWAK!'
She crumpled, clutching her stomach.
'I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night.'
Just as I turned toward the dojo, a surge of mana flared behind me.
'INSTALL!'
Red light burst in every direction.
Steel spread across the ground before stopping all at once.
Then the red light converged in one place, and Saki stepped out of it.
'I'll show you…'
Two swords appeared in her hand.
One black.
One white.
'That I don't need you!'
She hurled one sword at me.
I tilted my head, and it missed.
The moment she reached out, the thrown sword flew back into her hand.
'Fight me properly!'
She rushed in again, but I continued to avoid every strike.
My senses flared, and I leapt back just in time to avoid a falling sword.
She threw both swords, then grabbed the one embedded in the ground and drove it forward.
'Take… this!'
The blade struck my skin.
Her lips curled slightly.
But…
*SHATTER!*
It wasn't strong enough to pierce me.
'Saki. Listen—'
'Shut… up!'
She began projecting sword after sword, each one breaking apart the moment it struck.
'You pushed Hina away, today, didn't you?'
The moment those words left my lips, she froze.
'…'
She took a step back, lips quivering.
'I see. So you really did push her away—'
'It was for the best!'
I took a step closer.
'Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.'
'Don't come near me!' She stepped back.
Fear flashed in her eyes. I never thought I'd be the one she feared.
'So in your attempt to protect everyone…' I looked her straight in the eyes. 'Are you willing to push all of them away too?'
I tried to her reach through words, but… I was never good with words.
'I…'
Her eyes trembled.
Then she dropped to her knees and clutched her head.
'Shut up, shut up, shut up! All of you just shut up!'
'You don't know me! You don't know what I've been through! So how can you say I'm wrong?!'
She slowly rose again, while muttering to herself.
'I'm not going to listen to any of you!'
A bow appeared in her hand, a sword in the other.
'Because I know this is the best path!'
The sword reshaped itself into an arrow, and she nocked it.
As she drew the string back, mana began flooding into it.
'Please don't do this, Saki.'
The dojo was directly behind me and Eri was still inside.
'Shut… uuuuppp!'
She released the string.
With no choice, I stuck my hand out to take the shot.
*BOOM!*
The impact sent me flying straight through the dojo.
Amid the broken debris, I got to my feet and brushed myself off. There wasn't a single scratch on me. Even so, seeing Saki like this hurt more than the blow.
'My… servant.'
Eri was standing there, hugging her pillow.
'Eri…'
Saki stepped into the ruined dojo, two swords in hand, murmuring to herself like she'd lost hold of something inside.
'Eri, get out. Saki is—'
Saki threw a sword at me.
I rolled aside and stood in front of Eri, facing Saki.
'Run, Eri.'
I couldn't let Eri be injured between us.
Then I felt a touch on my shoulder.
Eri was shaking her head.
'This lord said she will protect all of her people. So…'
She stepped forward.
'Stand behind me, my servant. This is a battle against this lord and the Knight.'
I sighed.
Since I couldn't get through to Saki, maybe Eri can.
'Then take this gift from me.'
I pulled a staff from my inventory and handed it to her.
'It's only temporary, until I can find something better for you.'
Eri held the staff as if it were something precious.
'It boosts your spellcasting temporarily. Feed it mana, picture the result, and it'll help keep the spell stable.'
She gripped the staff tighter and faced Saki.
'Thank you, my servant.'
Then she reached up and removed her glasses. Handing it to me, a tail sprang out behind her, and wings emerged from her head.
'Saki.'
Eri slammed the butt of the staff against the floor.
A red light spread beneath her feet. Symbols spun in a glowing circle.
'It's time to find out who wins.'
Saki stared at her with bloodshot eyes.
'The hero…'
Eri took a step forward, and the magic circle burned even brighter.
'Or the demon lord.'