CH 72

Cody’s Situation

‘I lost….’

The training hall fell silent. Both Cody and Zechs were at a loss for words.

Seiryuu calmly looked down at Sheila, who was breathing heavily and kneeling.

“――Your sword tip is slightly duller than before.”

Confused, Sheila laughed bitterly.

“… As expected, Seiryuu will find out.”

“Is it because you’ve just learned the proper form?”

Sheila nodded slightly.

That was the reason for her poor performance.

Sheila thought she was moving freely like before, but because her body had become accustomed to the proper form, she sometimes became unsure of her next move. Her body couldn’t decide between the proper form and free movement, and so, her movements became sluggish.

“…. I can’t stay like this. I have to get used to it as soon as possible.”

Sheila recalled the distressed and worried expression on Claushezade’s face. If things turned out as he feared, it would be pointless for her to have laughed it off at the time, saying it would be all right.

He would surely blame himself, even though it was natural for a teacher to teach the proper form since it was a part of the class. He was reminded of his students who had lost sight of their own style and had become useless.

She didn’t want him to regret it. Sheila didn’t want him to think that what he taught her was a mistake.

Seiryuu grabbed Sheila’s arm, who immediately stood up impatiently.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going for a run. I haven’t trained enough yet.”

“That’s absurd. You just had a match with Zechs a few minutes ago.”

He didn’t need to worry, Sheila still had plenty of energy left in her. She smiled wryly and shook the arm in her grasp.

“I’m fine. Seiryuu, please let go of my hand.”

When Sheila tried to leave, the grip on her arm became stronger. The hand that completely covered her wrist was hard and thick.

Sheila noticed that Seiryuu was looking at her with narrow eyes.

“Seiryuu….?”

“――What are you in such a hurry for?”

Sheila felt a sense of shock. She was seen right through.

“No, I’m not in a hurry…?”

When Sheila replied with a smile, he looked down and pulled his lips together. Why did Seiryuu look more pained?

“….. At times like this, I hate myself for not being a good talker.”

The self-mockery in his sentence was tinged with sadness.

However, Seiryuu’s eyes regained their strength the next moment. Like his beloved sword, he looked graceful yet gallant.

Wanting to escape, Sheila subconsciously tried to pull out her hand but failed.

“Sheila, please talk to me. Even if it’s just a little, I want you to share your pain with me.”

Seiryuu’s eyes were staring at Sheila with unwavering sincerity. His sincerity almost shook her resolve.

“Suffering…. what….”

“Sheila.”

“Because I have to be strong. I can’t become useless.”

Sheila shook her head repeatedly, trying to escape his gaze. Over and over, as if to say to herself.

“You’re only in the fourth grade. There’s no need to worry so much, right?”

“That’s not good enough. ――I don’t want to be a burden.”

It was a familiar light tone of voice that pried open Sheila’s stubbornly closed heart.

“I won’t ask who you don’t want to be a burden on, but even he will understand how hard you work.”

“Zechs….”

When he recovered, he ruffled Sheila’s hair wildly, with his usual cumbersome gestures.

Sheila gritted her teeth as if she was trying to hold in the pain.

“No matter how hard you try, it’s meaningless if you can’t produce results…”

“Hey, you’re strong. You’re not going to fail, I guarantee it.”

He was comforting her even though there was no guarantee at all. But he was so casual about it that it felt ridiculous to be worrying about it at all.

Cody stepped forward and tapped Sheila on the shoulder, his dark brown eyes narrowing gently.

“Sheila, let’s get stronger together, okay? Don’t go on and on by yourself. You taught us that we need to stick together, remember?”

“Cody…..”

Yes, that’s right. Don’t be hasty and disrupt the harmony. The entire fourth-year students were finally coming together.

“Sorry, I…..”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I know you have your reasons. But you don’t have to be strong by yourself. We can help you, too.”

“….”

He smiled at her, and Sheila finally caved.

Sheila jumped into their chests as if she was hurling out her feelings. Her forehead made a thumping sound against the breastplate, but she didn’t care about the pain. The three of them squeezed each other tightly together, holding each other’s unreachable hands as best they could.

“Cody…. Zechs…. Thank you….”

Sheila finally lifted her face and smiled slightly.

Her eyes, which were just barely holding back tears, were moist and red like a rabbit’s. Seeing that, Cody and Zechs looked at each other with their usual mysterious expressions.

“We should never let this guy cry in front of other people….”

“Yes, that’s what I thought too….”

“Both of you, why are you so pale?”

Seiryuu, who had been watching the exchange between the three of them for a long time, sighed with a wry smile.

“Really, I’m no match for you…. You guys are show-offs.”

His mutterings were answered by Zechs.

“It’s natural. We’re the ones who’re always hanging out with him.”

Surprised that Zechs didn’t use honorifics, Sheila looked at Seiryu. He didn’t seem to feel particularly uncomfortable. Come to think of it, Cody was friendly with him too.

“….. Cody and Zechs are both very close to Seiryuu, aren’t they? It’s like you’re all old friends.”

The question that Sheila spilled out caused silence to fall over the place.

Zechs scratched his head awkwardly and opened his mouth to say something. Cody interrupted him.

“It’s okay. I knew I had to tell Sheila sooner or later.”

With that, Cody took a deep breath. His calm eyes turned to Sheila.

“――I’m actually an illegitimate child.”

Sheila gasped at what he said that didn’t match his calm voice.

His voice was calm, and his expression was tranquil. But Cody’s fists were trembling slightly. Sheila could tell that he was desperately trying to suppress his raging emotions.

“My mother was a maid who worked for the Aswan family. Since the Aswan family is a Baron and not a very high-ranking family, there aren’t many aristocratic children who are accepted as apprentices, and it’s not uncommon for commoners to be hired.”

Cody’s mother was a beautiful woman for a commoner. She was gentle and reserved, but a hard worker.

“To nobles, commoners weren’t people. Naturally, she had no contact with my father. One day, however, my father had an unorthodox whim. He took my mother, who was working, and violate her by force――Do you know what “violate” means, Sheila?”

Sheila nodded her head. She didn’t want to interrupt his story.

“The moment it became known that she was pregnant due to a one-time mistake, my mother was kicked out of the mansion by his lawful wife. Then, my mother went back to her parents’ house in the royal capital and gave birth to me. Naturally, there were people who looked at me with cold eyes, but there were also many kind people.”

Cody squinted his eyes nostalgically. From his honest expression, Sheila could see that he was happy at that time.

“That’s how I grew up downtown. I’ve been friends with Zechs, Axe, the dorm leader, and Seiryuu since then.”

“Oh, I see….”

Sheila used to feel that she couldn’t enter their tight-knit friendly circle, but it was no wonder if they had known each other that long.

But she had one question: Why was he now Cody Aswan?

“Why are you in the Aswan family now…?”

At Sheila’s question, Cody became hard again.

“It’s because my father’s legal wife didn’t give birth to a boy. The Aswan family can only be succeeded by a direct male heir. Conveniently, I happened to have magical powers, albeit weak.”

Cody, who was suddenly taken by the Aswan family one day, was said to have been separated from the downtown area and forced to be educated as the son of a noble family.

“What about Cody’s mother….?”

“We were separated. My father forcibly hired her again, this time making her work at a mansion in the countryside.”

“That’s…..”

Employment sounded good, but she was practically a hostage.

Cody didn’t know what would happen if he disobeyed them, so he needed to continue to be obedient for his mother’s safety.

Perhaps he had crossed the line at least once. The coldness with which Cody spoke of the Aswan family was so bitter that it was hard to believe they were related.

“…. But I’ll definitely come to see her eventually.”

There was no hesitation in Cody’s eyes.

A determination that he had obtained after much trouble, suffering, and struggling.

His life had made him stronger and bigger than ever.

Cody looked much better than when he was fighting. No, in a way he’d been fighting all along.

Sheila hugged Cody again.

“Cody is already strong enough. It’s been tough all this time… Great job, you did your best.”

Cody chuckled weakly as he took Sheila in. His hands and voice were clearly shaking as he clung to her.

“Why are you crying over me? You were holding back so much earlier.”

“Crying for someone’s sake is nothing to be ashamed of….”

Cody patted Sheila’s back soothingly. She didn’t know which one of them was being comforted.

Nevertheless, Sheila continued to cling on, hoping to provide some comfort to Cody.