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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: It Was Just That You Weren't a Good Person to Me
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Denial.
That was the first emotion Adelin felt. Even though it was a wooden sword, there was no way her blade wrapped in azure flame could be broken by such a scroll.
But the denial didn't last long. In the end, the sword had shattered, and an undeniable reality lay before her eyes.
Next came doubt. Was the scroll Bella used really one she had made herself? It was hard to easily accept that a ten-year-old child had created something with such power.
"Is it really a scroll the lady made herself? Not one she bought?"
In the end, Adelin asked. She voiced her innermost thoughts plainly, without a hint of pretense.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Bella replied with a faint smile. It was a smile that seemed drained of energy, somehow lonely. It didn't look like the face of a liar. The countess accepted the girl's words without a shred of doubt.
To think she made a scroll like this at just ten years old. What if the girl grew up from here?
[I don't want to join a place that can't recognize real talent.]
Camilla's voice flashed through Adelin's mind. At the same time, chills ran down one of her arms.
"Haha."
But strangely, a genuine smile began to form on Adelin's lips. Her blocked chest opened up, and her eyes, clouded by guilt, cleared once more.
'I was wrong.'
She had never imagined that realizing her own mistake could feel this joyful.
How much had she worried about crushing the girl's hopes again? How afraid had she been of leaving another deep wound? But in the end, Adelin was wrong. Bella had real potential, the kind that could draw admiration from everyone.
Even if it was just one scroll.
"Hahaha!"
Azure flames flickered fiercely around Adelin.
She wanted to see more of the girl's possibilities. She wanted to feel, deep in her bones, just how wrong she had been.
"Let's keep going!"
So what if her sword broke? A sword master's power dwelled not in the blade, but in the unyielding will that rose endlessly.
Adelin set down the shattered wooden sword and raised her fists high. The azure flame coiled around her arms, condensing into weapons.
"Let's keep going!"
Her guilt turned to fighting spirit, and in response, the blue azure flame burned even more fiercely.
Bella pulled a scroll from her waist with two fingers. With a brief flicker of teleportation, a sturdy barrier enveloped her small body.
Adelin didn't hesitate. She charged straight ahead and slammed her fist into the wall.
Crack—!
A sharp impact rang out, sending a light gust scattering around them. But unlike the sound, only a thin crack marred Bella's shield.
Adelin didn't stop. She rained down punches rapidly, and cracks began to form on the sturdy barrier.
Bella layered another barrier with the same scroll before the first even broke. Then, as if to show off, she fanned out more than ten identical scrolls in front of Adelin.
"Hah!"
Adelin let out a scoff.
It wasn't impossible, but she had no desire to punch through all those barriers with her bare hands. If she had a real sword, maybe—but this was no longer a challenge. It was just a war of attrition.
In the end, Adelin reined in her azure flame and lowered her hands.
"That's enough. We've confirmed the scroll's power sufficiently."
Adelin's voice was much brighter. Bella let out a short sigh and carefully tucked the displayed scrolls back into her waist pouch.
"You completely exceeded my expectations. Excellent. I can hardly believe a ten-year-old made these scrolls."
"...Thank you."
Was she not used to praise? Bella averted her gaze slightly and murmured softly. Somehow, it felt endearing.
But Adelin swallowed her smile and met the girl's eyes with a serious gaze.
"I want to apologize for pushing my narrow prejudices."
At those words, Bella looked back at Adelin with clear eyes.
"No. There's no need for you to apologize, Lady Adelin."
Her voice sounded somehow resolute. Adelin took a step closer and cautiously extended her hand to Bella.
"Don't say that. Accept it. I want to be friends with Lady Bella."
"...Friends?"
"Yes, friends."
The countess had once asked her if she had any friends.
She had never placed much importance on such relationships. What Silveniar needed were comrades to fight back-to-back, not emotional ties and trivial sentiments.
But in this moment, for the first time, Adelin felt the desire to be friends with someone.
"Won't you be my friend, Lady Bella?"
Bella blinked vacantly for a while, staring at Adelin's outstretched hand.
"This isn't for Lady Camilla or Rahel Tani. It's solely for you, Lady Bella."
Adelin smiled confidently, believing there was no way she'd be refused. She wasn't ashamed to say it herself, but she was someone with top-tier ability even among prestigious families.
She had lived cleanly without a single sin. She knew well that she earned the respect of many for it.
'Lady Bella said she respected me, too.'
It was Lady Bella who had told the countess she admired her. There was no reason for refusal.
"...I'm sorry. Friends... I don't think that will work."
So perhaps that's why Bella's response was enough to stop Adelin in her tracks.
"...Huh?"
"I still truly respect you, Lady Adelin."
Bella quietly took a step back.
Just one step. Yet that single step stabbed coldly into Adelin's heart.
"I know you're truly just and upright, Lady Adelin. And I believe you'll surely become a wonderful person one day."
"..."
But why refuse her? That thought alone filled Adelin's mind.
"You're... truly a good person, Lady Adelin."
Only after a brief silence could Adelin meet Bella's eyes.
"...It was just that you weren't a good person to me."
The girl was smiling. But that smile held no goodwill, no hostility—nothing at all.
"Still, someday, I want to be your comrade, Lady Adelin. Until then... I'll work hard."
It was simply a calm gaze looking at her as a person. Nothing more, nothing less.
[Lady Adelin is so beautiful...! Ah, no, that's not what I meant...]
Where had that shy girl gone, the one who blushed and stammered at their first meeting? Where was the overflowing goodwill in those sky-blue eyes, always glancing nervously and hesitating?
"Haha, th-then... you can just become a good person to me now!"
This time, it was Adelin who stammered.
The complete opposite of their first meeting.
"Thanks to you, Lady, I realized my prejudices. From now on, I want to rebuild our relationship."
Adelin's heart ached at the girl's changed gaze. There was no visible wound. Yet it felt like the sharp pain of a blade slicing into her.
"If you become my friend... you'll enjoy many benefits. Silveniar is quite capable, you know."
"I want to be your comrade, not your friend."
It was a firm reply without a trace of hesitation. At those words, not only Adelin but even the countess watching from the side couldn't hide her surprise.
Before the firmly shut door showing no sign of opening, Adelin's judgment began to blur.
She stepped toward Bella, who had retreated a step.
And grabbed the girl's small hand tightly.
Bella's body flinched. A white, misty pallor drifted over the small girl's pale face.
"Pl-please let go of my... hand..."
"Think about it again! Or... is there something you need?"
Adelin didn't notice Bella's change. She just gripped the hand tighter.
"Just tell me. I'll make it happen."
"Let go!"
Adelin froze at Bella's sharp cry, the first of its kind.
Bella yanked her hand free and backed away as if fleeing.
Only then did Adelin notice the pallor on Bella's face.
"Ah... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Lady Adelin."
Bella smiled faintly. That smile carried a gentle warmth, without a trace of hostility.
"If you just wait a little... someone far better than someone like me will... come to your side."
"..."
"So... you don't need to worry about someone like me."
Adelin
could no longer approach the girl.
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