The Lazy Swordmaster Chapter 144:
“It looks like you are wondering how I knew . I am sorry, but I cannot tell you . It’s a family secret . ”
It seemed she read Nainiae’s mind again . With a smile, Reutrina brought her index finger to her lips . She leisurely walked to the front of Reutrina .
“What I said earlier, please think of it as a joke . ”
Reutrina put up a fox-like expression on her face and said,
“I’m also interested in Young Master Riley . ”
“Princess…”
In less respectful tone, Nainiae called her and stared at her . Reutrina mumbled as if it was an excuse .
“As a woman, I threw a hissy fit because I was interested in Young Master… Please think of it like that . ”
To not show the look on her face, Reutrina walked past Nainiae . She dusted off the snow that accumulated on Nainiae’s shoulder and walked toward inside of the mansion .
“…”
Reutrina breathed out frosted mist as she walked back . Nainiae just stood there and watched Reutrina . Heliona, who was hiding behind Nainiae, showed her self and yelled,
<Uuuuuaaaa! That wretched bitch!>
It was ringing in Nainiae’s ear . Nainiae looked like she was hurting from hearing the shouting right at her ear . Nainiae started to pad Heliona’s wings to calm her down .
“You held back well . ”
<Why did you just stand there? If you just burned her face with flame, she would have said, ‘Oh my, your appearance is quite fair! I am sorry I got on your nerve!’ and rolled her tail up! Why?! Why?!>
“I am not supposed to do that . ”
<Why not!!>
With her arms crossed, Heliona was breathing hard . She changed her target of anger and started to glare at Nainiae .
<Nainiae . You are lacking in self-awareness of who you really are!>
“Self-awareness?”
<That’s right! You are lacking in awareness of the fact that you are my master’s pupil! You are the pupil of Andal the red dragon . If you are one, then instead of ‘Ah, yes! Of course! Of course!’ you should have said ‘What? You got something to say? You got a problem? Wanna go at it?’ That’s the kind of response you should have shown!>
“Ah, ah haha…”
Heliona was lecturing Nainiae as she ground her teeth . Feeling awkward, Nainiae avoided the gaze and fiddled with her finger .
“By the way, the conversation earlier, didn’t it seem like there was more to it than the surface?”
<What about it?>
Although Nainiae brushed Heliona’s wings, Heliona was still perked up in anger . Heliona tilted her head .
“Usually, when people tells a joke, they just say ‘it was a joke . ’ On the other hand, the Princess said to think of it as a joke . ”
Nainiae thought that this could be interpreted as not a joke but take it as one . She asked for Heliona’s opinion .
“Am I reading too much into it?”
<No, it really could be…>
Heliona, who hated Reutrina, placed her fist at her chin and started to think hard about this .
<There’s no harm in being suspicious . I’m telling you this because I lived several hundred years longer than you . We occasionally saw that humans were far more conniving than we expected . >
It seemed Heliona came to a conclusion in the end . She lifted her head from the fist . She turned to look at Nainiae and asked,
<I don’t think we should let it be like this . >
“Pardon?”
<Let’s crush that high and mighty pride of that wretched bitch!>
* * *
“Between w… white snow… and then what did you say?”
<The place where the black wings fly between white snow . The place where bright song surge without sound . >
“… Um…”
Sera carefully thought about what Heliona said . Not able to figure out what it was about, Sera scratched the back .
“Summon spirit’s language is difficult . ”
In response to Sera’s reaction, Nainiae also looked at Heliona on her shoulder with confused look .
“What’s the black wings flying between white snow? I presume the white snow would mean winter . As for the black wings… a crow?”
“What’s the bright song without sound about? It’s strangely worded, don’t you think? A song needs to have sound . ”
The two deduced through the words like detectives . Heliona looked at the two back and forth and described the place .
<About that place where the summon spirit is… I have never met the spirit myself either, so it would be hard for me to explain exactly about the place . One thing for certain is that… it is not far from here, although it is hard for me to pinpoint exactly where . >
Heliona was saying that the spirit that could make Nainiae reborn as an artificial summon spirit was nearby . Nainiae asked,
“Not too far from here?”
<Yes . Not too far from here . Why?>
It seemed Nainiae thought of something . Nainiae rolled her brain diligently . She then turned her head and looked at Riley who was sleeping .
“Ms . Heliona, you said you have met that spirit before, right?”
[TL: Earlier, Heliona said she had never met the spirit in person before . This statement is contradictory, but the author never corrected it . Conversations from here on assumes Heliona had met this spirit before . ]
<Yes? What about it?>
“Ms . Sera, while I am not here… can you please look after Young Master Riley?”
“Nainiae, by any chance, you…”
Sera was blurring the end of the sentence . Nainiae nodded and said,
“I think I should go meet that spirit myself . ”
Nainiae asked Heliona what would be the problems that she would face when she meets the spirit .
“The problem is that, after I meet the spirit, if our Young Master is in this state, would it be hard to proceed?”
Nainiae looked determined . She was asking with serious look on her face . Heliona seemed satisfied to see the determination in Nainiae . Heliona crossed her arms and shook her head . She said,
<No . It’s all right . For acknowledging the artificial summon spirit, the master and the one who will become the artificial summon spirit simply touching hands will be enough . If we are dealing with beings who do not have hands, then we will need to use a different method, but you are a human and have hands attached too . >
Heliona answered what Nainiae was curious about . Now, Heliona asked what she was curious about .
<By the way, you said you will go meet the spirit yourself? Have you figured out where?>
Heliona was asking if Nainiae figured out where ‘the place where the black wings fly between white snow . The place where bright song surge without sound’ was .
“… No . ”
Nainiae shook her head .
<Then what is it?>
“I’m going to use the eye . ”
Nainiae lightly brushed away the long hair to her right . She showed her right eye and asked again .
“Ms . Heliona . You said you have met that spirit before, right?”
<Huh? Ah, yes…>
Heliona was facing Nainiae’s white eye . Heliona had vacant look on her face and nodded .
“Please think about the spirit . Please think about the spirit in as much detail as possible . ”
Nainiae strained her right eye as she spoke . Heliona had awkward look on her face, and Nainiae started to glare at her with piercing gaze .
<Ah… okay!>
It seemed Heliona was feeling uncomfortable with facing Nainiae’s gaze . Heliona avoided her gaze and started to think about the summon spirit that she was supposed to introduce to Nainiae .
“…”
Strange atmosphere was flowing between Nainiae and Heliona . Sera looked back and forth between the two . It seemed Sera realized she should not step in . She took a step back and checked up on them .
‘This is the first time for me to use the eye on a summon spirit, and I had never tried to locate a summon spirit with this either, but…’
It seemed Nainiae was nervous . She firmly closed her lips and looked at Heliona . Gradually, the outlines of the scenery started to form in Nainiae’s head .
‘I’ll definitely…’
Rumors about her spread recently inside the mansion . The Nobilities were talking about her as if it was a snack for their drinks . Nainiae was doing this so they won’t be saying this like ‘it is too bad, but that Lazy-Sword will have to part ways with that maid . ’
‘I’ll definitely!’
It was also because she won’t remain silent about the things Reutrina said and added that they were jokes . Nainiae gathered power in her eye as much as she could .
‘… I can see it!’
The outline of the scenery became clear . What appeared to be fireflies could be seen in her right eye .
“Kuk?!”
It seemed the visual was too bright . Nainiae cringed, and Sera asked out of concern .
“Nainiae!”
<Are you all right?>
Concerned, Sera and Heliona asked . As if there was nothing to worry, Nainiae put forth her right arm and said,
“It’s all right . Jut for a moment… I felt throbbing pain for a bit, that’s all . ”
She felt pain inside her eye, so she cringed for a moment . However, Nainiae have not blinked once . It was still steadily gazing upon Heliona .
“I found it . Almost… Just a little further . ”
Heliona looked at Nainiae’s eye . Nainiae’s right eye was shaking, unable to focus . Heliona raised her hand, trying to say that Nainiae was going to overexert herself at this rate .
<Nainiae, that’s enough… I think it is…>
To ask her to hold just a little longer, Nainiae raised her hand and cast barrier . She continued to gaze at Heliona .
‘I found it!’
She screamed in pain . Nainiae covered her right eye with both of her hands and lowered her upper body .
“… Uuuuk . ”
“Nainiae!”
Nainiae was faltering . Sera came to support her and asked as she wiped off the sweats on Nainiae’s face .
“Are you all right?”
“… Yes . ”
“I have told you so many times, haven’t I? I told you not to overdo things! Young Master would not be pleased with this either!”
“I am sorry . I was being stubborn just now… I admit that . However, I found it . ”
“Pardon?”
Sill covering her right eye with her hands, Nainiae raised her upper body back up . With her left eye, Nainiae looked at Heliona and said,
“The place where the black wings fly between white snow . The place where bright song surge without sound . ”
She looked exhausted, but the look on her face seemed Nainiae was overjoyed when she mumbled the riddle . Still supported by Sera, Nainiae slowly turned her head .
“That place is…”
As she said, the place that Nainiae turned to after looking at Heliona was really not far .
“…?”
<…?>
Out of the blue, Nainiae was looking at Riley . Sera and Heliona both had confused look on their faces as they tilted their heads .
* * *
“Um…”
Although it was for a brief moment, Reutrina got to go on a night walk with Nainiae . Reutrina narrowed her eyes as soon as she returned to her room .
“She is at Seven Circles? How fierce . ”
Having realized that the maid from the Iphalleta Family was at Seven Circles, not Six, she was thinking she should alter her plans .
“If she is at the same level as Astroa, I think it will be tough . I heard she was at Six Circles during spring… It’s only been half a year, so how could she grow so fast?”
She untied the string that was tying her hair . Reutrina shook her head and flaunted her hair waiving in the air as she walked toward the terrace .
“Should I have stayed there and try to read her thoughts some more?”
The terrace was filled with snow piled up .
“No . ”
Just like what she did when she was out for a walk, she gathered and lumped up the snow . With cold look on her face, Reutrina muttered,
“Nothing good will come from doing too much . ”
It was hard to believe that Reutrina right now was the same person that spoke with Nainiae earlier . Reutrina was exuding unbelievably deadly aura .
“… Um?”
Soon, Reutrina found something that flew through the snowing night sky . She extended her right arm out .
“A carrier pigeon?”
It was a black winged eagle . It had a long, folded letter that was attached on its leg .
“There, there . ”
With its talons wide open, the eagle landed on Reutrina’s arm . As if it was trying to tell Reutrina to check the message quickly, it screamed once .
“All right, is it sent by our mad dog?”
It seemed Reutrina figured out who sent the letter . She had a shady smile on her face as she opened the letter .
“… It is . ”
She slowly read the content of the letter . She then clicked her tongue and let out frustration .
“I thought this will happen, but still, looks like they didn’t catch him . How foolish . ”
She started to flinch her shoulder .
“…”
To summarize the content of the letter, which had two main points, ‘we lost the **** we had been chasing, and two of our comrades were done in . ’
“Huh . ”
The good news she was expecting were nowhere to be seen . Instead, the letter only had bad news . Reutrina started to crumple the letter mercilessly .
“Huh…”
Reutrina was looking down at the letter and shaking her shoulders . The following words were reflecting on her eyes .
[From the Right Leg, to the Head]
Wondering if she read the letter wrong, Reutrina slowly looked over the letter once more . It seemed she was agitated .
“haah… haah…”
She blushed and started to moan in excitement .
“Ah… Ah ah… As I thought! I didn’t see it wrong!”
Between her lips which was moaning just now, her tongue slowly came out and started to lick around the lips .
“… I want…”
Glamorously, as if she was seducing someone, as if she was trying to hold down something boiling inside her, she bit her finger . She licked the finger and muttered,
“… I want to have…”
Like a fox full of **** during the mating season, she was blushing red and mumbling as she licked her finger . Her eyes were… burning with purple light .
“Even more, I must have…”