A Swordsman and a Mage, Sworn Enemies, Accidentally Crossed a Line and Discovered Their Bodies Were Perfectly Compatible. - Chapter 19

On the outskirts of the Royal Capital, we met again today.
But the tense atmosphere of previous days had vanished, replaced by the innocent gathering of children.

“This book is about the Alrein Kingdom.”

“Oh yeah? That’s… uh, ‘feudal history’, right?”

We sat side by side, spreading the book open and peering at the pages.
The characters looked incredibly complex, but Remietta seemed to read them effortlessly. She pointed at the characters as she read aloud, never stumbling once.
The book covered the Alrein Kingdom’s history, geography, climate, and Demon Beasts. Though the content wasn’t particularly thrilling, reading it with Remietta made the time fly by.
It was as if yesterday’s tension had never existed; a gentle atmosphere now filled the air.

“Remietta, you’re so smart! You even use polite language like an adult,”

“I studied so hard… but it didn’t really matter in the end,”

Remietta says, dejected.
If she had studied so desperately just to earn her parents’ praise, then it was true that it had been meaningless.
But that was a sad thing.

“That’s amazing. I think you’re super impressive.”

“What’s with the sudden compliment?”

“If I think someone’s amazing, I’ll say it. That’s all.”

“Ugh… you’re making me feel weird.”

Remietta blushed crimson and turned away from me, her usual formal speech slipping slightly into a more casual tone.

“Teach me how to study sometime. I’ll teach you how to use a sword in return.”

I suggested this, hoping to become closer to Remietta.

“I don’t really need sword lessons… but I guess I could help you with your studies.”

“Alright! I hate math.”

“I’m good at it,”

Remietta said, puffing out her chest with a smug little laugh.
Seeing her so proud and adorable made me feel happy, too.

“Okay, let’s have some snacks. I had our chef make them.”

“Snacks…!”

It was the perfect time, so I pulled out the cookies I’d ordered for today. Remietta’s eyes lit up.
No matter how smart she was, she was still a child. The magic of snacks was irresistible.

“These are delicious.”

“Right? Our chef is amazing.”

“They’re as good as our chef’s!”

Remietta, completely absorbed in eating the cookies, looked as cute as a hamster.
She finished them in no time, her face beaming with a smile I’d never seen before.

“It’s delicious. Thank you so much. I want to eat it again.”

“Hehe. I’ll ask the cook to make more.”

“Yay!”

Remietta’s eyes sparkled with delight, her face radiant with joy.
I never wanted to see her crying face from yesterday again. Seeing her smile now filled me with relief.
And I was deeply drawn to her.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

I think it was from that moment on that I fell in love with Remietta.

◇

After that, we continued our secret meeting.
We met almost daily on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, studying together, practicing swordsmanship, or simply talking.
These were happy days, but as Reinbell and Remietta as Magnolia, we couldn’t tell anyone about our meetings. We had no choice but to meet discreetly on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
Even though we enjoyed our time together, we still longed to do something a little different.
So, one month after we became close, we ventured into the heart of the Royal Capital.

“That was so… wonderful. My heart is pounding!”

“See? Romance movies are the best.”

We said this as we left the cinema.
The Alrein Kingdom is famous for its films. Usually, people come with their families, but today it was just Remietta and me.
We had watched a romance movie.

“I usually prefer movies with flashy battles, but this was good too.”

Remietta said, swinging her fist in the air.
Despite her delicate appearance, she seemed to enjoy action films.

“Especially the part where the prince… kisses the princess to wake her up. That was… really good.”

“O-oh. Yeah, that was a good scene.”

“Yes…”

As we shared our thoughts, Remietta’s face flushed crimson.
The scene she mentioned was the most climactic and slightly mature moment of the movie.
I blushed, caught up in Remietta’s mood.
It wasn’t like I was imagining kissing her or anything like that.

“Let’s come again sometime,”

“Yeah, let’s come again,”

We exchanged these words, trying to hide our embarrassment.
As we walked side-by-side down the main street, heavy footsteps pounded behind us.

“Over here!”

“Right, hurry!”

Guards from the Royal Capital’s security force, likely Mages judging by their uniforms, pushed through the crowd and raced past us. They looked frantic, as if some incident had occurred.

“What’s going on?”

“Who knows? But they didn’t see us, right?”

“I think we’re safe.”

If the guards reported us to my father, I’d be in serious trouble. Getting friendly with Magnolia would guarantee at least three days of punishment.

“…Let’s head home for today,”

“…Yeah, you’re right,”

The thought of the impending scolding completely soured the pleasant afterglow of the movie.
We decided to call it a day and parted ways there.

◇

“Elvin, where have you been going lately?”

“Huh?!”

At dinner that evening, my heart nearly leaped out of my mouth when Father asked me that question.

“N-nowhere special. Just… a bit of training, that’s all.”

“I see.”

Father seemed satisfied with my answer and didn’t press further.
But my heart continued to pound loudly in my chest.

“Don’t do anything too dangerous, Elvin.”

“Big Brother… I’ll be fine. It’s just training.”

“If you say so. Father…”

“Yes. The Royal Capital has been getting dangerous lately. Be careful, and if you go out, stick to crowded areas.”

Father then warned me to be cautious.
I nodded, but I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the idea of the peaceful Royal Capital, which hadn’t seen war in ages, suddenly becoming dangerous.

“Father, Elvin is still young. Wouldn’t it be better to forbid him from going out for a while?”

“…He wouldn’t harm us. There’s no need to worry.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Right in front of me, Father and Big Brother were having a meaningful conversation.

“Besides, I don’t want to make too much of a fuss. Just carry on with your lives as usual.”

“…Understood.”

“Got it.”

They didn’t tell me the details of this dangerous situation, as if they were keeping something from me.
Of course, I was curious, but I nodded obediently, knowing that pressing the issue might reveal Remietta’s situation.

“Dangerous… huh?”

The word lingered in my mind.
I rolled it around in my mouth, suddenly thinking:
Come to think of it, I did see guards rushing around during the day.
Despite a growing sense of unease, I figured I just needed to be careful and wolfed down my dinner.