CH ss - 8

[Alfine: The Sword Master Fall ①]

※Alfine’s POV

The events in Algren changed my life.

Finn’s body was cremated in Algren, and I returned to the Royal Capital with his hair and adventurer badge.

Since then, I started to live in a world without Finn.

I woke up in the morning and looked in despair at Finn’s adventurer badge, even so, I was still hungry, so I ate meals in my room, and without grooming, I bit on my nail and recollecting my time with Finn, and went to sleep as it is.

And did that over again

At first, the Butler gave me some words of consolation, but now he just come to deliver food without even saying his greetings.

Finn…I just wanted to say I’m sorry…

And now you’re gone…idiot, idiot, idiot…I’m an idiot.

I’m the idiot who had spent all her time without realizing it.

The tears that should have been exhausted overflowed again, and the pillow was getting wet again.

I have been living like this for two weeks now.

I also got my leave extended in my work as the Royal Guard Knight Order swordsmanship instructor with the reason of poor physical condition, and I was staying in the mansion all these times.

Now that Finn has gone, I don’t care about anything.

While looking at Finn’s adventurer badge, thinking that I should have asked him to stop and biting my nail, the door was knocked.

“Alfine-sama… the captain of the Royal Guard Knight, Gile-sama, has come to visit you… How should I respond to him?”

“I don’t want to meet anyone right now. Just use whatever reason and told him to leave.”

Even though my everything, Finn, died, why do I have to deal with the guy who I don’t want to see the most?

This Butler is really a person who doesn’t understand me.

“But… he seems like to have received a royal order to visit Alfine-sama from the King…”

“From that voice, it seems you’re doing well. Alfine.”

Opening the door without the permission of me, the owner, Gile, the commander of the Royal Guard Knight, brought in two knights in ominous full body armor along with the Butler.

“Although your face is slightly haggard, but it seems you’re not in a critical condition. Not only the King, but also the Royal Guard Knights are worried about Alfine-dono who has been ill for a long time. Of course, as the commander, I’m also worried.”

Since I’m staying indoors all day, I was still wearing my nightwear. I immediately put on the gown that was at my hand’s reach.

“Gile-dono… even though it’s the royal order from the King, I’ll be troubled if you just come in without permission.”

“I thought you just abruptly took a leave, but then you’ve been on sick leave since then. I though that you caught a disease in the northern great city, Algren, so I immediately came to see your condition.”

Gile said so, and laughed with a grin.

Why…Gile knows that I headed to Algren.

Previously, he also knew that Finn had disappeared, and this time, he even knew where I was going while on my leave which I didn’t even inform the King…

“Oya? I can’t endure such a scary face. I’m on Alfine-dono’s side though. So, I wonder if you managed to meet Finn-dono?”

“W-what are you saying? I should’ve said that Finn was leaving to train his swordsmanship though…”

Suddenly hearing Finn’s name came out of Gile’s mouth, I immediately got flustered and tried to gloss over it.

However, a mocking expression appeared on Gile’s face.

This face… it seems that he knows what occurred in Algren, huh…

I’ve already requested the Algren Adventurer’s Guild’s staff to close their mouth about Finn’s death until I sorted out my feelings. To think he even knows about this…

There’s only one person remaining who knows the truth.

“I sincerely apologize. I had been taken care of by Gile-sama before serving Alfine-sama… I was told to tell him of what had occurred, so I told him the things that occurred at that place. This is also because I was worried about Alfine-sama, so I did it on my own accord. Please forgive me.”

“Forgive you? Vigo, know some shame. How can a butler who leaks their master’s secret be forgiven?”

The Butler Vigo was bowing apologetically.

I felt resentment when I knew that he, who I had as a butler at the time I became a Sword Master and join the ranks of noble, spilled all information about me and Finn to Gile.

I didn’t intend to forgive him from the bottom of my heart, but when I learned that I was betrayed by the person I hired, my heart was even more frayed.

To think I don’t even have an eye to discern people…I really am a stupid woman…

It’s natural that Finn was tired of such a woman, right…

“Yes, don’t blame Vigo. He was worried about Alfine, who recently became a noble, so consulted to me. Yes, about various things. I even know your habits, and just everything about you…”

Gile sat down on the bed with a mocking and grinning face, and put his hand around my shoulder.

“Impudent…! If you don’t want to end up in the hospital, please refrain yourself from touching me.”

Because he was acting so over-familiar, I immediately shook his hand that was on my shoulder.

“What an unfriendly attitude. I’m just here to comfort Alfine-dono because I heard that your dear lover, Finn, was sick and died in Algren, you know.”

The words from Gile sever my barely calm heart to shreds.

“F-Finn is not dead. As I said earlier, he was going to train――”

“Don’t you have Finn-dono’s adventurer’s badge that was taken from the dead body? From the dead body of a black-haired young man who has the same tattoo as Alfine-dono on his neck. That dead body is still under training, you say? Are you trying to fool me with such a nonsense?”

“!?”

I heard the words that I didn’t want to hear the most from the person who I didn’t want to hear about it the most, and my heart that barely holds on completely shattered.

The tears that I was holding on flowed down, exposing my weakest figure to the number one man who I don’t want to show my weakness to.

Exposing such a weak and feminine figure to such a man…

I want to die…Living in a world without Finn is…

That’s right, if I die, I can go near Finn.

Why didn’t I realize such a simple thing… As expected, I was an idiot.

I pulled out the sword that was placed on the bedside impulsively, and tried to press it against my neck.

“!? This woman!! She’s trying to harm herself! Vigo, stop her!”

“I understand. Take her sword and make her faint.”

When Vigo told so to the knights in ominous full body armor, the knights who were standing upright motionlessly took the sword from me with quick movements, and hit me in my solar plexus.

Then, my consciousness disappeared there.

Ah damn you, Shinji-like bastard and not Sebas-like butler…