"Leon-san."
"Y-Yes..."
"You know why I'm angry, don't you?"
"...Yes. I'm truly sorry."
Inside a private room at the tavern, I gave Sara a complete, unvarnished account of what had happened with Rosalia.
How I had gotten carried away in battle and used skills while disguised as the mage Rio. How my identity had likely been suspected, putting my future activities in jeopardy. Listening to me, Sara crossed her arms and glared in my direction with a pout.
All I could do was hang my head.
"Using magic and skills at the same time—what is that even supposed to mean? It makes no sense."
"It's a new fighting style I've been experimenting with lately. It's surprisingly profound—"
"Leon-san. I am not asking for your review."
"...Right. I'm sorry."
I bowed my head once more.
"Haah... I understand all too well that your talent is staggering. But if the world finds out about this, you won't get off lightly."
"I-Is it really that bad?"
"Yes. The Knight Order and the Mage Order would mobilize in full force just to fight over you. And I doubt other nations would sit by quietly, either."
"T-That's... not good."
"In that case, please show a little more restraint."
"Ugh..."
Damn it... How did things end up like this?
All I wanted was to live a quiet life as an ordinary adventurer. But whenever I'm faced with the unknown, my curiosity gets the better of me and I completely lose myself in the moment. I really need to rein it in next time... Otherwise, it's going to lead to something irreversible.
"I'll go buy some knight equipment tomorrow. If I get a suit of full plate armor, it should hide my face as well."
"May I come along?"
"Hm? No, I can handle it on my own, you know."
Sara let out an exasperated sigh.
"Listen to me, Leon-san. Right now, my trust in you has completely hit rock bottom."
"F-Fair enough..."
"We need to pick gear that won't give away your identity, and I'll be supervising to make sure you don't do anything unnecessary this time."
"...I'll be in your care."
I was utterly defenseless against Sara.
Even so, when all was said and done, there was no one more dependable. After setting a time and place to meet, I left the tavern.
The next morning, as I waited by the fountain in the central square of the royal capital, Sara came jogging up in casual clothes.
"Haa, haa... I'm sorry. I'm a little late."
"Don't worry about it. I just got here myself."
I had actually been waiting for a while, but that was what I told her.
Today, Sara wore a pale, light-blue dress. Her shoulder-length brown hair was neatly styled, giving her a slightly more mature air than her usual uniform did.
"That dress really suits you."
"Huh?"
"You look different from usual. Very pretty."
"—Ah, thank you."
With blushing cheeks, Sara shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well then, let's go. There's a skilled armorer in the artisan district."
"You know your stuff."
"I interact with them through my work. But remember, you are absolutely not allowed to show off your real strength this time, understand?"
"...I'll take it to heart."
After taking care of the necessary arrangements, we left the shop. Apparently, the armor would be ready in a week.
"That went smoothly. But truthfully, wouldn't you have preferred a more eye-catching color?"
"Guh..."
How did she know...?
I had actually thought a gleaming black set or a radiant golden one wouldn't be half bad.
"I knew it. If the shopkeeper had recommended one, you would've bought it, wouldn't you?"
"...Probably."
"Coming with you was definitely the right choice. You might be a genius, Leon-san, but you're bizarrely careless in the strangest ways."
Sara let out a soft chuckle. It seemed she saw right through me.
On the way back, Sara stopped in front of a café.
"What's wrong?"
"A wonderful scent caught my nose, and I just couldn't help it."
"Want to head inside? My treat."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. You've really taken care of me, Sara. Honestly, if you weren't around, I'd be in serious trouble by now."
"Ahaha... I suppose I can't really deny that."
Chatting as we went, we walked into the café. I figured I would order a morning set, but Sara was staring down at the menu with dead-serious intensity.
"You're really agonizing over that."
"Ugh... To tell the truth, I haven't eaten out very often. Everything looks so appealing."
"Take your time."
"Yes. Thank you."
I looked at Sara again.
Despite having little experience dining out, her manners were remarkably refined. She worked as a receptionist by day and at a tavern by night. Even so, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her story.
After much deliberation, Sara settled on a fruit-loaded parfait.
"I have an absolute weakness for sweets!"
The way her eyes sparkled as she said that was just like any ordinary girl her age. She happily began digging into the parfait once it was served, but...
"Hey, Sara."
"Yes? What is it?"
"You're a... 'mage,' aren't you?"
"..."
Sara's hand froze, her spoon clinking faintly against the glass dish.
"...What makes you say that?"
"I can tell by looking at the flow of your mana. You're a remarkably skilled mage."
"So I couldn't hide it from you after all, Leon-san..."
She gave a wry smile and quietly set her spoon down.
"That's right. I don't actively work as a mage, but I possess magical aptitude."
"Then don't you feel like pulling me over to the mages' side? Knowing my secret, you could have even blackmailed me."
"...I just don't think the staff and the sword should go on fighting forever."
Sara began to quietly pour out what was on her mind.
"In fact, there have been several attempts in the past for the staff and the sword to join hands. Joint exercises, personnel exchanges... About twenty years ago, they even formed a joint unit."
"Then why are they still at each other's throats?"
"During a subjugation mission, an accident occurred where knights were caught in a mage's attack. The knights blamed the mages for casting magic without prior coordination, while the mages blamed the knights for charging ahead in defiance of orders. With the truth left murky, the joint unit was disbanded, and the rift between the two sides only deepened."
"Something like that happened...?"
"The accident itself could have been resolved if they had sat down and talked it through calmly. But both sides assumed from the start that the other was at fault. In the end, they couldn't overcome the long-standing prejudice that the staff and the sword are simply incompatible."
Sara cast her eyes down with a lonely expression.
"That's why I have no intention of pulling you to one side or the other, Leon-san. The fact that you wield both the staff and the sword as equals—I believe there is real meaning in that."
"I doubt I could change anything on my own, though."
"No. The staff and the sword can walk together. I have a feeling that someday, you'll be the one to prove that, Leon-san."
"Hmm... Could it be that the old man and the old lady foresaw all of this?"
"The old man and old lady?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. The two who taught me swordsmanship and magic back in the countryside."
"Um... May I ask what their names were?"
"Old man Gard and old lady Irena."
"...!"
Sara's eyes flew wide. Her gentle expression vanished in an instant, and she froze, breathless.
"What is it?"
"I see... That explains part of why you possess such extraordinary strength, Leon-san."
"What do you mean?"
"From the sound of it, you really don't know anything, do you...?"
Sara drew a slow, deep breath and looked straight into my eyes.
"'Sword Saint Gard'—the knight hailed as the strongest in history. 'Sage Irena'—the mage lauded as the greatest of all time. Those two are legendary figures who once stood at the very pinnacle of this kingdom."
"Wait... what?"
Those two were... the "Sword Saint" and the "Sage"?
To me, they were just a cheerful old married couple. But looking back, their strength had clearly been far beyond human limits. Sword skills that defied belief despite their advanced years. The mastery to manipulate high-level magic as if it were child's play. Having grown up seeing it every day since childhood, I had never realized how abnormal it all was.
The scattered pieces of my memories were finally locking into place.
"That's not all," Sara added as I sat there, utterly stunned. "Those two were the central figures who established the joint unit I just mentioned. And following that incident twenty years ago, they vanished from the royal capital without a trace."