Chapter 54: One, two, three, four, five… close my eyes and count. One, two, three, four, five… open my eyes and see you
Elise sensed it again.
It wasn’t her imagination. Frostheart really seemed to dislike her a little as its owner.
Even though a sword has no real consciousness, a weapon you hold all the time will naturally form a kind of bond.
Right now, Elise could clearly feel that her bond with Frostheart was about to end.
It seemed like the sword liked Peiya more.
…?
To put it bluntly, Elise even felt like Frostheart was starting to take Peiya’s “side.”
And if she skipped a few words… it almost felt like she herself was also starting to “lean” toward Peiya.
That sentence sounded a bit strange, but also somehow right.
Elise slowly came back to her senses and decided to test the sword again.
She returned to the training ground and used the same skill as before.
This time, it felt completely different.
Frostheart responded much better to her movements.
Even the feeling in her hand had improved.
And for some reason, every time she swung the sword, she felt her own abilities being enhanced.
That alone was already very different from before.
At this point, Elise suddenly understood how Frostheart must have felt before. She had basically been swinging around a “dead” piece of metal. No wonder it didn’t like her.
Now, it felt like the sword could handle at least twice the power it used to.
Making such a rare material release double its strength was definitely not easy.
All of this was clearly thanks to Peiya’s effort.
“So, how does it feel? Is it easier to use now?”
Elise turned around and noticed Peiya’s face was slightly red. She nodded.
“It’s amazing. But I’m a bit curious, why does this sword feel different? It’s like I’m being buffed.”
“Take out the ‘like.’ I made some changes to the magic circuits on the blade. Now it can resonate with your magic, and it can also store mine. So even if I’m not beside you, the buffs inside should last for a while. I’m not sure exactly how long yet, you can test it later.”
Elise: ???
If repairing Frostheart was already shocking, then carving magic circuits onto it completely broke Elise’s understanding.
She understood every word, but when put together, she couldn’t understand it at all.
Did this kind of magic even exist in the kingdom?
“Peiya… what exactly are you? Human… or something else?”
“You’re exaggerating. This is just a technique I figured out before. When the magic runs out, just come find me and I’ll recharge it.”
“Recharge?”
“Yeah. The amount of buff magic it can store is limited, so I need to refill it regularly. It’s quick, just a few minutes.”
“I see. Then I have no problems now. But you helped me so much… I suddenly don’t know how to repay you.”
Peiya waved her hand. “You’re making it sound too serious. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.”
“Wait, I’ll walk you back.”
Elise called for a carriage to send Peiya home.
On the way back, Elise sat right beside her. From time to time, her warm breath brushed against Peiya’s neck, making it tickle.
Maybe because it felt too ticklish, Peiya shifted her body and asked,
“Elise, let’s go challenge the Ice Bear King next week, okay?”
“No problem. I’m ready anytime. But what about you? You’ve been in the workshop for so many days. Don’t you want to rest a bit more? If you keep going like this, your body might not handle it.”
Peiya bit her lip. “I’m fine. I’ve worked with hammers a lot before, so don’t worry about me. And since I moved to the new area, my rest has improved. I don’t have to worry about monster attacks at night anymore. I can finally sleep peacefully.”
She thought back to her life in the old district, she rarely had a good night’s sleep.
Now that her living conditions were much better, those painful memories were slowly fading away.
Most of her recent memories were about spending time with Elise.
“I’m glad to hear that. If you have any problems in the future, you can tell me. You don’t have to keep everything inside. After all, we’re good friends. We can share what’s in our hearts.” Elise said softly.
Elise felt from the bottom of her heart that Peiya was still too stubborn. She even thought, maybe it would be better if Peiya just stayed by her side from now on.
She didn’t mind having one more “little sister.” Of course, this was just something she thought about.
A bird locked in a cage cannot fly high.
Elise chose to respect Peiya’s choice.
Maybe because she had been touched by Elise’s care during this time, Peiya openly admitted it this time.
“No problem. After all, we’re friends… completely innocent.”
“Why do you always keep emphasizing that last part?”
Elise looked at Peiya with suspicion. Her meaningful gaze felt like it could burn a hole through Peiya’s heart.
“Do I? Aren’t we just… innocent friends?”
“That’s true, but you keep repeating it. It feels strange.”
“Ah?”
Peiya didn’t know how to explain for a moment. She looked up at the carriage roof, a bit lost.
She didn’t really want to answer this directly.
But staying silent would make things awkward, so after thinking for a while, she explained,
“Because I have a lot of small flaws… and I’m afraid of losing you as a friend. That’s why I keep saying it.”
“So that’s the reason? But I don’t mind. Everyone has their own way of living. You don’t need to force yourself or feel wronged because of me. On the contrary, if there’s something you want to do, you can tell me. Actually… I feel quite lonely too. Spending time with you these days made me think, seeing someone you care about achieve their dreams should be a very happy thing…”
“...Of course, I might just be imagining it. No dream comes true easily. So more than anything, I hope I can become someone you can rely on while chasing your dreams. That would probably be pretty cool… I guess.”
Peiya’s expression changed slightly, and her emotions didn’t calm down for a long time.
She suddenly felt that Elise was very different from Anna.
Anna was the type who, on the surface, protected her subordinates, but in the end, she only acted for her own pride.
She used promises she never planned to keep to satisfy her own vanity.
But none of that could be seen in Elise. If Peiya had to describe her with one word, it would be… Understanding.
Or maybe… acceptance.
Peiya looked out the carriage window at the passing scenery, her eyes a bit unfocused. Then she turned back and spoke sincerely.
“Thank you… This is the first time in my life that someone has spoken to me so gently.”
Elise placed her hand on Peiya’s shoulder and said warmly,
“I used to care a lot about what others thought too. But later I realized, the people I cared about weren’t worth it. Alright, we’re here. I won’t walk you upstairs today. Can you go by yourself?”
“I can.”
Peiya got off the carriage, holding her small bag, and stood at the street where light and shadow mixed. She hesitated for a moment, then saw the carriage about to leave and quickly spoke:
“Elise, wait.”
The carriage slowed down. Elise pulled back the curtain, trying to hear what Peiya wanted to say.
Under Elise’s gaze, most of the courage Peiya had gathered disappeared.
But she didn’t want what happened with Anna to happen again with Elise.
In other words, she didn’t want to push away this hard-earned friendship.
So Peiya raised her head. Her expression turned sincere. Under the dim evening light, even her silver hair looked softer. She opened her lips slightly, swallowed nervously, and said in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Remember to rest early tonight. And also… I actually… really like being friends with you. That’s all I wanted to say. You should go now. It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe on the road.”
However, instead of leaving, Elise stepped down from the carriage and walked toward her.
“H-hey, why did you get down? It’s windy here, it’s freezing. Hurry back!”
Seeing Peiya flustered, Elise spoke gently,
“You should also rest early. I was worried that if I stayed too far away, you wouldn’t hear me clearly, so I wanted to tell you in person.”
Peiya looked a bit confused, her cheeks turning red. “Y-you didn’t have to come down. I heard you already.”
Elise smiled calmly and tightened her grip on her small handbag.
“That’s good. Since you heard it… then good night, Miss Peiya. Sweet dreams~”