“Young Master… you’ve been smiling really happily… and scary since a while ago…”
The Coronation Ceremony had concluded.
It was now time for the banquet, and Princess Treya had not yet appeared, having gone to see off Eugenie, who “looked unwell.”
“Ah? Have I?”
“Yes!” Iaar nodded vigorously.
Will pushed his glasses up his nose, quickly reining in his unrestrained smile.
He didn’t know what others thought…
But he was quite happy.
Especially when he saw Treya finally complete Entake’s sword forms on stage and the sword shatter. He felt his heart leap with excitement.
More importantly, he had witnessed Eugenie next to her fall to the ground with a thud and flail her arms helplessly.
It felt so good!
Nothing was more satisfying than seeing the formerly naive and deceived Little Princess finally succeed in her revenge!
[Quest 90: Treya successfully passes the Crowning Festival and gains the Demon’s approval.]
[Reward: Treya’s exclusive sword art – Demon’s Black Blade]
—Although the Quest System wasn’t with him at the moment, he could happily check it off when he got back.
Thinking this, Will poured himself another glass of orange juice, took some food, and found a table in a corner to sit down.
And then…
Just as he sat down, he heard someone next to him softly call out—
“Will… Teacher?”
Treya, also holding a drink, stood beside him.
Will felt a subtle change in her aura.
No matter!
Anyone who could gain the Demon Pot’s approval and fully master Entak Demonic Sword Arts—if she remained the same as before, that would truly be a failure!
Treya sat down.
In her eyes, separated by the table, Will appeared colorful and radiant…
And then herself, already blackened, sat on opposite sides of the same table. Though they were so close, it felt as if they were very far apart.
“Did you send Eugenie to rest?”
“Yes. Perhaps because she suddenly lost her strength, she became extremely weak, so I had her sent home directly.”
“Oh? You seem to know the reason quite well…”
“That’s right, during the sword dance…”
For some reason…
Even as Treya gradually began to understand some of the Demon’s control and schemes…
Facing Will, the only colorful person in her eyes, she still reverted to the half-elf princess who spoke her mind directly, without reservation or concealment.
However, she could now feel her emotions more clearly—so she knew this wasn’t a bad thing.
“Shh—”
Will’s arm reached across the round table and touched Treya’s lips.
“There’s no need to talk about such things at the banquet. If you need help, you can tell me privately.”
“Mm.”
A faint smile appeared on Treya’s face.
Just a slight upturn of her lips.
“So… Teacher Will, did I… do as…”
“You did very well.”
Will immediately chimed in with praise.
Although it seemed like he was mind-reading by answering her question before she finished, he had actually just felt like saying that.
“…Is that so?”
The tips of Treya’s pointed ears turned slightly red. She was still gently touching her lips where Will’s finger had been.
“To go from not knowing the sword forms at all to displaying them all the way to Entake Style 11 in a sword dance was truly wonderful. Both in terms of the experience and the change in perception it brought…”
Treya propped her chin on her hand, looking at Will opposite her. He was still wearing the black suit from that day, but in Treya’s eyes, he was shining.
—He was truly looking at her intently, so she should be happy.
“Also, I don’t know exactly how you did it… but making Eugenie tremble as she slid off her chair and land on her backside was so satisfying! I’ve disliked how she treated you for so long; she deserved to get revenge! She should have been beaten even more!”
Facing Will’s excited fist-pumping and cheers, Treya simply listened quietly and nodded.
—He was seriously considering her revenge, so she should be happy.
Treya reached out, wanting to touch Will’s face, just as he had touched her lips.
That’s right.
She wanted to touch her own color.
Since he had praised her, and since she had come this far, she had to push her luck even further.
Everything else except him could be erased…
She would seize him, remove those who got in his way, those who hindered her ascension to the throne he desired…
She would eliminate them all.
The more Treya stared intently at Will, the more the darkness spread beneath her feet.
“Will…”
Just as her hands were about to touch Will’s cheek, he suddenly turned his head, his eyes shining.
“And also… I saw that smile too! It was incredibly sweet, excellent emotional control. So much improvement compared to the smile you gave me at the beginning—”
Will!
He had caught Treya’s “blade” in stride!
The moment Will turned, Treya’s finger poked his face.
The spreading darkness at her feet was instantly interrupted, and Treya’s light blue eyes cleared slightly.
“…What? M-m-my smile was sweet?”
Treya was stumped by his words.
Will had his reasons for saying that.
He had been quite far from Eugenie when she fell, and he also couldn’t hear Treya’s whisper to Eugenie.
Therefore…
He could only see Treya’s sweet smile as she “played the role of the good sister” in the end.
To him, who had once been on the receiving end of Treya’s stiff smile, seeing a normal smile from Treya was incredibly touching.
It was like a beautiful dream covering the memory of a nightmare, leaving a lasting impression.
“Hmph… why did you suddenly reach out and poke me?”
Will seemed to enjoy being poked and even rubbed his cheek against her fingertips. Treya shyly withdrew her fingers.
“I… I saw a bit of food stuck to your face, so I took it off.”
Treya had told her first, completely conscious, lie.
“I haven’t eaten anything with food stuck to it… Oh, speaking of which. You usually don’t show much expression, and your smile towards me was stiff before. But this one was really good!”
“…Thank you.”
Treya replied in a very small voice.
“Learning to smile, cry, and get angry is also a part of your learning process. Only by better controlling ordinary emotions can you unleash more fervent emotions when needed.”
“Okay…”
“However, precisely because of this smile…”
Will propped his chin, then pointed at Treya.
“You—are not black enough yet!”
“Eh…?”
“Too sweet! You should be more wicked! More evil! More chaotic!”
“Ugh…?”
“And towards the loser, you should be more aggressive, really torment Eugenie lying on the ground until she wishes she were dead!”
“Actually, I…”
Treya was about to interrupt Will and say that she had planned to use the demon’s power to temporarily control Eugenie as leverage.
After all…
A living older sister could probably bring her more benefits.
However, she ultimately didn’t say it.
Compared to Will, she was perhaps still the naive little princess.
What he said was right; she still had much to learn.
“Mm… I really didn’t expect that.”
“But speaking to you like this… seems difficult for you to understand. Come next time when Iaar is learning!”
Iaar, who was pouring tea nearby, nodded.
“Welcome, Princess Treya, to the Little Blackening Class!”
Treya looked at Will, who was happily recounting these events, and gently covered her smile with her cup, fearing he might again say she was too sweet.
“Okay, Teacher Will.”
