The Sage that the Sword Saint is Obsessed With

20 – 6. Friend’s Story (1)

1.

Staring into the distance with vacant eyes, Luen let out a gentle sigh.

“Haah….”

Since Evan had arrived at the Southern Front, Luen had been in a dream-like state.

His thoughts were filled with nothing but Evan.

His image flickered like a butterfly.

A desire to be with him bubbled and intensified deep within his chest.

What should he do first to satisfy this desire?

There was no need for lengthy contemplation.

The first thing he had to do was to sincerely apologize.

Confessing his own guilt was the first step.

There is enough time to talk.

There are still six months ahead.

Sufficient time for a meaningful conversation has been given.

However, despite understanding in the mind, it was difficult to put into practice.

“I must…!” I vow every morning, but I fail and find myself repeating this sigh every day.

Even when I muster the courage to approach Evan, I am ignored.

Completely treated like a ghost.

In public, we exchange a few words, but in private, we avoid eye contact.

Every time, it felt like my spirit would break.

Depression swells and swells, threatening to burst.

But recalling the things I’ve done, it was something I had to endure.

I didn’t even have the right to be disheartened in front of Leven.

Above all, it was terrifying.

What reaction Evan would have when I apologized.

This might be the last chance, and what if I make a mistake again and lose even this opportunity?

What if it ends up digging deeper into Evan’s wounds?

I realize anew how difficult it is to apologize.

“Commander!”

It was after a meeting when I was killing time alone in the conference room.

Karen popped her head into the room.

“…?”

Leven, who had been gazing at the black sea in the sky, turned to Karen with a quizzical look.

“How about a drink after a long time?”

Karen smiled, holding up a turquoise bottle.

“I received this liquor as a gift a while ago, but I have no one to share it with.”

Leven chuckled at her casual words.

No one to share a drink with.

If Karen were to ask someone to join her for a drink, everyone would rush to do so.

“…Sure.”

Leven nodded once.

I had a feeling that I wanted to have a drink, even though I didn’t really feel like it.

Karen sat down next to Lwen with a bright smile on her face.

“Cheers!”

As the bottle cap was opened, a lively sound rang out.

White smoke flowed out from the bottle like fog.

Karen poured the alcohol into the glass.

The vibrant purple liquid filled the glass to the brim.

“It’s strong.”

Karen lifted the glass as if it might overflow any moment.

“…Yeah.”

She lightly clinked the glasses.

The crisp sound couldn’t be heard due to the glass being filled with alcohol.

As the glasses collided, a little bit of the alcohol spilled onto the table.

Gulp, gulp.

Karen drank the alcohol coolly.

She drank half of it in one gulp.

Although she looked like she didn’t like alcohol and couldn’t handle it, within the Knight Order, she was well-known for being able to drink well.

“Ugh…”

Wiping the alcohol off her lower lip with her tongue, Karen glanced at Lwen.

Lwen was sipping the alcohol as if drinking tea.

He was drinking delicious alcohol as if it tasted awful.

If any other member had seen him drinking like that, they would have said that the taste went down.

It’s not that Karen didn’t understand why he acted that way.

In the recent days, Lwen’s face had been clouded as if filled with gloom.

Even when he won in battles, he only let out sighs.

She could guess the reason.

It must be because his love life is not going well.

Lwen, whose face was filled with sighs like a girl suffering from lovesickness.

It’s just a guess, though.

I think Lwen is feeling down because he’s in unrequited love.

Well, it’s not entirely wrong.

The cause of melancholy is guilt.

That heavy emotion hangs on Lewyn’s heart like a shackle.

In the sense that a heavy heart and burdened feelings can be termed unrequited love, you could say guilt is as well.

Anyway.

Karen showing up with alcohol was to alleviate Lewyn’s worries even just a bit.

Sharing one’s concerns with someone else has a way of lightening the load.

Of course, speaking about my love story to others is difficult.

Yet, after a drink or two, stories from the deepest corners of the heart tend to surface naturally.

It might seem like unnecessary meddling, but even through meddling, I wanted to repay Lewyn for the gratitude I owe.

If it weren’t for her, how many times would I have perished on the battlefield?

By now, I might not even be a person in this world.

“How’s the alcohol?”

“…It’s good liquor.”

“Don’t refuse, drink up. If it’s not enough, I can bring more from the room.”

“…Okay.”

They conversed on various topics while emptying the bottle.

Stories about a recruit caught slacking during training.

Tales of a dog in the shop giving birth to puppies.

Thus, lightening the mood with diverse subjects until Karen cautiously brought up the main point.

“By the way, isn’t the wizard handsome?”

*Cough! Cough!*

Lewyn, starting to smile as his mood relaxed a bit, spat out the alcohol he was drinking in surprise, like a stepped-on puppy’s tail.

“Uh, wh-what?”

Lewyn wiped his mouth with his sleeve, looking at Karen.

His golden eyes trembled.

Karen thought of Lewyn as cute, like seeing a small animal, someone who usually doesn’t express emotions so visibly.

“Is it like a noble feeling? Without trying, you seem that way, but if you dress up, women would probably line up. What do you think, Sir Lewyn?”

“I, I am… uh… um… I don’t know…”

“Where do you not understand? If someone’s good-looking, they’re good-looking. If they’re not, they’re not. Please be honest. How does the Commander look to you?”

Leuwyn, rolling his eyes around, lowered his head and spoke in a voice as if ants were crawling.

“…… Nah, not really.”

He really couldn’t be honest, could he?

It’s enjoyable to see the Commander’s new side.

We’ve been together for years, but who knew there was this cute side.

He’s already small in stature, but curling up like that makes him even smaller.

If you only saw this side, you wouldn’t think he’s a knight who ruthlessly sweeps enemies on the battlefield.

Karen, feeling elated after a drink, decided to tease Leuwyn a little more.

“Really? I thought the Commander really suits you.”

Leuwyn’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, no…! Absolutely not…!”

Leuwyn vehemently denied, crossing his arms.

“Someone like me… doesn’t suit… him.”

He shrunk back again.

He’s not someone with low self-esteem, but it seems love can make one weak.

Karen, unaware of the exact situation, looked at Leuwyn with a tinge of pity.

“……”

Leuwyn bit his lower lip and bowed his head.

He felt gloomy.

Perhaps it was an unnecessary interference after all.

The sound of sipping drinks intermittently filled the room with an awkward atmosphere.

Around the time a glass of alcohol was drained.

“Ka-Karen…”

Leuwyn cautiously spoke up.

“…Can I ask you something?”

Karen, maintaining silent reflection, smiled brightly.

“Of course! Ask me anything!”

With such an enthusiastic response, Leuwyn blinked, then slowly began the conversation.

“Is this… about my… friend?”

Karen suppressed a laugh.

It was an incredibly cliché beginning.

The term “friend’s story” was usually used when diverting attention from one’s own story.

I hope this isn’t rude to say, but above all, the Master didn’t have any friends.

He could call the members friends, but aside from them, he didn’t have any friends with whom he casually chatted and spent time.

Most of the time, he was alone.

“Ahem… yes.”

Karen cleared her throat and listened attentively.

“Well… I had a friend who was really close to me. But, my friend made a huge mistake towards that friend… So, things went bad, and now, we’re completely estranged… It’s like we’re enemies now.”

Karen tilted her head slightly.

This wasn’t the story she expected.

Naturally, she thought it would be a love-related concern when he mentioned a friend’s story.

But this wasn’t a love problem.

“They did something really terrible… really… but my friend seems to want to reconcile with that friend now, to go back to how things were before… So, I want to apologize, but I don’t know how. Um, what should I do?”

Levain stammered, stumbling over his words.

If it was Karen, who was popular among the members and had many friends, she might know.

“Is that what’s bothering you?”

Karen expressed her lack of understanding.

“Is there a specific way to apologize?”

The Master didn’t know why he was asking such a thing, but Karen answered sincerely.

“I don’t know how big the mistake is, but unless it’s something like being an enemy who killed your family, a simple apology might mend the relationship.”

“Well, it’s not that simple.”

“Then why are you worried? Just saying sorry should be enough.”

He knows that saying sorry is an apology.

But he never had the chance to say it.

Whenever he tried to speak, he would be ignored and brushed off.

“But… what if the other person doesn’t want to talk?”

“If words don’t work, you have to show it through actions.”

“Action…?”

“Sometimes, actions can express sincerity more than words.”

Leuwen was lost in thought.

“Anyway, try to reconcile persistently with that friend. The only person we can depend on as much as family in this world is a friend. Like how I depend on the commander.”

Leuwen blinked at Karen.

“Our friend…?”

Karen rubbed her forehead.

“What a disappointing remark. I am also a friend of the commander, and so are the other members. So, if there are any difficult situations, please rely on us, too, instead of trying to solve them alone.”

It was a piercing statement that pierced the heart.

I can deeply sympathize with those words.

Because I know well what happens when I try to do things alone.

Leuwen suppressed her gratitude and uttered one word.

“…Okay.”

If you can’t express it in words, show it through actions.

Leuwen resolved to find Evan as soon as possible the next day.

If she had quickly given up apologizing for being ignored until now, she would now persistently apologize.

Tomorrow, she will definitely apologize to him.