Chapter 6: The Contract

Numerous pairs of eyes turn towards me.

It feels like quite a long time since I’ve received this much focused attention.

The most recent time I was the center of such attention was—ah, at the funeral of the Schwartz couple.

During the Grand Duke’s funeral, I shared the attention with my brother, so if we’re being precise, perhaps that should be considered an exception.

Of course, delving deeper reveals a completely different situation.

In the previous two instances, the subject that drew the gazes and I were not the same, but now, I was the one who had forcibly gathered the attention.

Considering that point, it’s been an incredibly long time.

Not just in terms of the presence or absence of gazes, but also in terms of properly donning the mask of pretense and acting in front of so many people.

What isn’t pretense and deceit for me?

But even the lies I always tell become like walking on a knife’s edge the moment they enter the realm of precarious acrobatics.

However, right now, I wasn’t on a knife’s edge but standing atop the hilt, backed by the authority of the Holy Sword, so—

“…A plan, you say.”

“Naturally, a solution to the current situation. Although I haven’t yet stepped into the world of politics, I am now the one implicated as the party involved, so I’ve given it some thought.”

—could it be anything but far easier than the dizzying acrobatics performed while staking one’s own social reputation?

I smile.

But it’s not a kind-looking smile.

Just as the same cry can hold numerous meanings, so too can laughter.

Keeping the eyes still while only letting the mouth smile can create a forced laugh, but widening the eyes and moving the mouth just slightly transforms it into confidence.

From the position of volunteering for the forefront of persuasion and conviction, projecting confidence is something that naturally must be done.

Expression is the brush, and words are the picture drawn by the brush.

If one paints without preparing the brush, the work is bound to be ruined—I knew this better than anyone.

“First, before I speak… I would like to ask one thing of His Eminence the Cardinal.”

In that regard, I was always someone who had to be prepared.

Unlike ordinary people who didn’t particularly need to fix their brushes, mine tended to break often.

“…Ah! Yes, uh, what is it…?”

“The prayer of blessing, could you recite it once more?”

After preparing the brush like that, the next step was to rub the brush against the inkstone.

“…For what reason do you require the prayer of blessing?”

“There is something I need to prove, so if it’s not too much trouble, I would appreciate it.”

If the brush is expression, then what is the ink?

“…I understand.”

The ink must be action.

Finely ground ink, just by touching the paper, draws the viewers’ interest to the painting with its strangely captivating black light.

“While the Cardinal recites the prayer of blessing, let me briefly state—regrettably, I have been chosen.”

Black is the color that absorbs all light; fittingly, a single stroke, drawn flawlessly without gaps, sucks in the gazes of all onlookers.

“The sword that should have gone to my younger brother somehow came to me, and as if denying any doubt, it glowed blue the moment it touched my hand.”

I grasp the Holy Sword hovering before me.

As the blade touches my hand, it begins to glow blue as if it had been waiting.

“This is something I find strange as well. I don’t believe I possess the qualifications to handle the Holy Sword either.”

I shift the sword to one hand.

However, I don’t hold it upright, but reversely, gently gripping the blade instead of the hilt.

With this small body, this method was likely the best option.

“However, it is also true that the sword chose me. Therefore, wouldn’t it be best to verify both contradictory facts?”

I hear the Cardinal finishing the blessing.

Simultaneously, I see one of the nobles opening his mouth to interject a barb at my words.

“…How do you intend to prove that—”

At the exquisite timing, perfectly aligned, I smiled brightly and, without hesitation, brought my other hand to grip the sword with both hands, then thrust it towards my heart.

“Wh-What is that—!”

Bang—!

And, well, naturally, it stops just before piercing me.

Rather than my heart, it just left a long, deep wound on the hand gripping the blade.

Having already discussed everything with the Holy Sword, I didn’t want to cut off an innocent arm.

If the negotiations hadn’t been completed, perhaps I might have slit my own throat instead of my wrist.

Looking around, I see the nobles staring at me with expressions of horror.

The Cardinal, seeming to wear a similar face as before, and my brother, who looked startled and seemed about to rush over before stopping himself, are extras.

I nonchalantly tilted my head and released the sword.

The Holy Sword trembled as if it had just forcefully stopped my movement, then immediately readjusted its position, rising so its tip pointed towards the sky.

“…If I had used deceitful means to be chosen by the Holy Sword, it would have pierced my heart and killed me at that opportunity just now. Therefore, there is no issue with me. And—”

As I clenched my fist, blood spurted from the wound.

I brought my left hand to the sword hilt, letting the blood flow down it.

“—When the succession ceremony was performed, albeit in a simplified manner—”

The Holy Sword immediately vibrated, then flew not to me, but to my brother.

“…Seeing it fly to my brother, the only candidate for heir other than myself at present, indicates there is no issue with the Holy Sword either. The choice is legitimate.”

Now, if my brother would just grasp that sword, the action part would be complete, but…

Hmm.

Seeing my brother just staring at my hand, taking no action, it seems I’ll likely have to move him myself.

Right, he’s still just a kid.

To match eye level with my brother, who had clumsily stopped himself on the table after hastily trying to halt my actions earlier, I climbed onto the table myself and grasped his hand.

Simultaneously, since we made a contract, I needed to play the role of the older sister from now on—

“…I’m sorry, little brother. This should have been your place originally, I caused you trouble.”

—I quietly whispered words only my brother could hear into his ear.

As I held his hand, his body seemed to flinch slightly.

But since it wasn’t particularly important, I ignored it and pushed the hovering Holy Sword into my brother’s hand.

The Holy Sword, which had briefly glowed blue where my fingers touched it, continued to maintain that light even upon contact with my brother’s hand.

“Therefore, the only remaining matter is to confirm whether I possess the qualifications for Grand Duke… That can be confirmed in an official setting.”

I patted my brother’s shoulder once, stepped down from the table, and sat back down.

He seemed momentarily dazed, then, as if snapping back to reality, descended from the table with quite an inscrutable expression and sat in his place.

The nobles still seemed unable to regain their senses, merely staring blankly at me.

There were a few who observed the situation calmly, but now that I had seized control of the atmosphere, it would be difficult for them to speak easily.

Well, I suppose it wasn’t an action expected of a frail young lady who had remained quiet until now.

In the first place, with blood still dripping from my hand, it would be hard for anyone to come to their senses.

“…If you speak of an official setting, do you mean the Knight Examination?”

However, perhaps there were some quick-witted individuals among them; a few were focusing on my future words rather than my actions.

“It seems that will be necessary, yes? I understand the age to take the Knight Examination is upon reaching adulthood, but we cannot leave the Ducal throne vacant for a whole year…

Let the deadline be one month. It took about that long for the Grand Duke before the last one to pass the Knight Examination as well.”

Of course, the previous Grand Duke Weiss had trained extensively in swordsmanship both internally and externally long before, allowing him to pass the official Knight Examination in just a month, but it served as a good timeframe for justification.

Officially, the period he learned swordsmanship was, after all, one month.

As the lengthy explanation ended, the silence dissipated, and murmuring sounds began to fill the hall again.

An utterly absurd proposal, that’s likely what they’re thinking.

They’re right.

Only fifteen, and someone who has stayed cooped up in her room without any training until now—nothing would change just because she starts moving her body now.

I am not unaware of this fact either, and I know it would never happen under normal circumstances.

“The conditions will be not using the Holy Sword, and using a knight decided upon here as the examiner. I believe there will be no objections with that.”

However, regrettably, I wasn’t exactly ordinary.

While perhaps not in swordsmanship, I was certainly confident in other fields.

…Come to think of it, maybe that’s why the Holy Sword chose me in the first place.

Should I have kept my hobbies a bit more moderate?

Was there really a need to create such things when I could have just lain still and killed time? I wonder.

Technically, I originally made a lot of them because I didn’t think I’d have a separate use for them, but… it was just irony.

And, for now, anyway… to them, I must seem like a girl who suddenly proposed something absurd.

Suggesting something clearly impossible, for anyone to see—like such, a girl.

Seen like that, contrasting with my earlier bold demeanor—they would likely easily realize that I was silently conveying an unspoken message to them.

“…If, the Grand Duchess fails the examination—.”

“Then, my brother, not I, must inherit the position of head of the family. To be precise, it would be that I ascended midway and then resigned due to lack of qualification…

This much, wouldn’t it be fulfilling the utmost duty regarding God’s choice? Is that not so, Your Eminence the Cardinal?”

In truth, the nobles before me are closer to targets for co-option rather than persuasion.

The very reason this meeting was established was because the majority of nobles were considering the future of the duchy while simultaneously watching the Cardinal’s reaction.

For a typical noble family, the most fitting choice would be to enthrone the younger brother as head, but the situation became this way because of the Weiss family’s succession ceremony.

If the succession ceremony hadn’t been related to the church, there would have been no need to hold such a lengthy meeting.

Therefore, the purpose of the meeting itself is essentially to choose a more suitable Grand Duke without violating the will of God.

In that process, determining whether the will of God was violated or not would most likely fall to the Cardinal.

Rather, the duchy’s nobles should have been supporters backing such a claim.

To make the excuse ‘Although chosen, it was unavoidable—’, it was necessary to appeal that considerable deliberation had taken place.

That’s why I deliberately chose a dramatic performance.

When explaining consideration for the family or proof of diligent effort, nothing holds more value than one’s own life.

Perhaps most of them have caught on by now.

That the reason I’m acting this way is to instill trust in them while simultaneously persuading the Cardinal and the church.

Of course, this is just the surface; the reality is different.

[…Was that really the best way?]

Shut up.

Be glad I’m meekly doing what needs to be done because of the contract.

[…Ughhh, why on earth am I like this—]

“………That much, cannot be seen as defying the will of God. Even if there are those who receive a mission, there are times when they cannot fulfill it due to unavoidable circumstances.

The Church, too, will acknowledge that much as unavoidable circumstances.”

The Cardinal arrived at an answer faster than expected.

The fact that he too was looking at me with an inscrutable expression made me think he had grasped the intent behind my actions.

In any case, the moment he spoke thus, the meeting’s objective was achieved.

Though no one said it explicitly, the primary goal of this meeting was to avoid a holy war.

While the duchy’s power was great, it was an unavoidable truth that it could not defeat the church, which spanned the entire world.

Especially concerning matters related to the Holy Sword, rather than simple conflicts of interest.

“In that case, we just need to decide which knight will serve as my examiner. I am ignorant in that area, so it would be good if you all continued the discussion.”

As I spoke, I tilted my head and smiled, crinkling the corners of my eyes.

As if that were the signal, the hall, which had fallen silent again after the Cardinal’s words, began to buzz with conversation once more.

From now on, the meeting would proceed moderately, yet appearing as cautious as possible.

Gone were the complex expressions and arguments from just moments ago; now, only excellent politicians who understood my intentions well remained in this place.

Honestly, they probably think it doesn’t matter who is chosen.

With my current body, it’s doubtful whether I can even hold a sword other than the Holy Sword.

Yet they chatter on like this.

If I went this far to somewhat appease the Cardinal, shouldn’t they at least pretend to deliberate earnestly when choosing the test opponent?

…Of course, contrary to their predictions.

Contrary to that superficial, such attitude.

I, intending to pass the test, simply maintained a calm smile at the ridiculous play unfolding before my eyes.

Because the contract with the Holy Sword was about this too.