Evan D. Sherden at the Party (4)
The next afternoon, Evan headed to the secret garden with Shine and Belois. They would meet her at the party that would be held soon, but he was rather grateful they had the chance to speak with her alone. He knew what Shine was thinking, but things wouldn't go the way he wanted them to.
"Princess, I've brought the master."
"Shine, you're here. And…ah."
Black hair and purple eyes. A beautiful girl who gave off the impression of being delicate awaited him in the flower garden as promised.
"Nice to meet you, Princess Anastasia. I am Evan D. Sherden, the second son of the Sherden family."
Evan greeted her calmly, but his insides were fluttering. His training so far seemed to have worked in keeping his face straight.
"Nice to meet you; I am Anastasia L. Leonine."
"Thank you for inviting us to the tea party. Oh, and thank you for taking care of Shine."
"No…it was me that was taken care of."
The flowers and fountain in the centre of the garden were vibrant and colourful. A white table was placed a little distance away so that the water wouldn't splash on them, and she was sitting in front of it. It looked like a portrait of a fairy, with this mysterious beauty sitting front and centre in this magical garden.
"Ah, please sit down."
"Yes."
The chairs were pure white, much like the wooden table.
"I…this."
But as soon as Evan sat down, Anastasia carefully handed him a note. It had been folded carefully two or three times, so he couldn't check what was inside.
"What is this?"
"Now…can you confirm it?"
Evan shrugged, and Anastasia had a desperate expression on her face. On the other hand, Shine just looked blankly from his seat. He had wanted Anastasia to direct her attention toward Evan rather than himself, but she had prepared a note in advance. Of course, that would make him feel a little weird.
"Then, let's see."
With both of their eyes on him, Evan unfolded the note so only he could see the tense handwriting within.
[Give me Shine.]
"Pfft." As soon as Evan read it, he sputtered out loud. He was glad he hadn't touched the teacup yet.
'How innocent this one still is…! It'll be difficult for her in the future!'
He couldn't help but be surprised. How was this child's education going? Just through that one sentence, he could sense the pure heart that had written it.
"Well."
"…Answer."
Evan looked at her distantly, then laughed at Shine, who was puffing up. He wanted to show Shine what the note said, but if he did, the princess would be furious. Putting the note back down, he faced the princess head-on.
"I'm sorry, but I can never give it to you."
"…Sorry. It was a rude request."
"No, I understand your heart."
At Evan's gentle response, the princess blushed and bowed her head. Shine was even more unsure of what she had asked for. It was so funny that it felt hard not to laugh at him.
"Then, even if we could exchange in the future…"
"If that's what you want, I have no right to stop it. Feel free to write a letter or come directly to the dungeon city. You're welcome anytime."
"Ah…!" The princess's face brightened again. She was so beautiful that the world seemed to brighten with her when she smiled. That wasn't all. The flowers around her were in full bloom, the water in the fountain soared higher, and now butterflies were gathering around her…wait.
"Are you a druid?!"
"Uh, how did you know? I was hiding it!"
When Evan stood up and yelled, the princess grew frightened. However, Evan was the stunned one.
"Only a druid can change the natural environment according to their emotions. It seems like you're not even trying to hide it now."
"About druids…how did you know?"
The princess's eyes went wide, causing Evan to groan. Had she not known? Looking over to Shine, he nodded without hesitation. She had done something similar before.
"What is a druid? I'm hearing the word for the first time."
"It's a very rare aptitude, but that's…?"
"I only heard of them from an old book. Tell me, please, are you familiar with druids?"
The princess's previous timidity vanished, and now she was staring at Evan with burning eyes.
"I know to an extent."
"Amazing…as Shine said, you're amazing."
"Right? Our master is aware of everything."
Druid was, as Evan said, a very rare aptitude. They were able to manipulate the forces of nature to assist allies and fight enemies. It was a job that could only be obtained by being born with talent and overwhelming aptitude, so it was a job often compared to an alchemist.
'Though a lot of people mock alchemy for being so rare yet nowhere near as useful. Grandpa Bernard showed them wrong.
In Yo-ma Great War 2, there was a regular that was an active druid. Although he had a pretty good rivalry with Bernard, he tended to be pushed back by Bernard's personality.
'Oddly enough, neither monster tamer nor druid appeared as regulars in Yoma Great War 3 or 4.' It would be a lie if he said he didn't recall the first meeting with Serena in the game, which felt similar to this. However, then she had been a brainwashed enemy officer, whereas this one was just an extra. Wait, had she appeared in the sequel?
"Young master, what are you doing?"
"Evan…?"
"Oh, nothing, excuse me." Evan cleared his throat awkwardly, having been lost in thought once more. Well, whether or not she appeared in Yo-ma Great War 5 or Yo-ma Great War Global Online, there was no way for him to confirm.
"Then…what would you like to know about druids, Princess?"
"I'm…I want to use this ability better."
"Uh?"
"I heard it from Shine. Grasping a person's talent… allowing him to show it off. Evan, can you teach me too? Please…!
Evan looked back at Shine. Shine swung his head to avoid Evan's gaze, but he couldn't avoid the elbow attack. It was a clean hit.
"Ugh, it hurts! I'm dead, master!"
"This child talks about everything. Where did that silent butler, you promised to be, go?"
"Ah…no, can't I say that much?! The people in the dungeon city know about it anyway!"
"Ah, don't bother Shine, because I asked."
The princess hurriedly defended Shine from Evan. He had gotten so excited he had forgotten all about her.
"Whoo, sorry. I showed you a sight I shouldn't have."
"I'm…"
As Evan sighed, she spoke up once more.
"Looking at Shine's eyes…I thought you would be a trustworthy person. The reason I asked you to meet today was actually because of this. But even before I told you, you noticed my abilities, and now I'm convinced."
"Indeed…" Evan nodded. This had been the main point from the beginning; asking for Shine was just a bonus shot. Of course, she had been sincere about
"Please…can't I?"
Evan considered it coldly, facing the princess's purple eyes. It could be an issue to let knowledge related to the druids out, although the duke was a good man as far as he was aware. Serena had some genuine talent, too, that could be a useful asset in the future.
"By the way, Princess Anastasia."
"Yes?"
"Alright, I will, only if you promise me something."
It was fine if he got the right price for it.
"Young master, are you really okay?" Shine asked him as they headed back to their room after a pleasant tea party. Evan motioned that it was okay.
"Because the druid's promise borrows the power of Mother Nature, she can never break it. It was a fair deal."
Evan taught her how to practice as a druid on the condition she would pay him appropriately. And with the druid's unique ability, they swore it to Mother Nature. Things had turned out rather well, all in all.
"No, not that."
However, Shine puffed up.
"Doesn't this mean we're on their side? Wouldn't you normally say something about a death flag at this time?"
"It was too late by the time you met her."
"Was it?"
"That changed a lot. But the princess is very different and will only continue to change in the future."
"That's…it was just a few meetings, won't we all soon forget?"
"Huh."
Evan laughed at him. Had he not realized the expression she had made while looking at him? Perhaps he would realize one day, soon.
"You'll see it later; no need to worry too much. If I were worried about the death flags that came from meetings like this, I would've never left my room. Could you call that a life?"
"…I see."
He didn't want to be holed up in his room, avoiding death. He liked people; it was really fun to interact with so many different people. It was scary to receive excessive attention from Serena and Arisha, but at the same time, it was enjoyable to be appreciated by them. The same went for Maybell as well. Her affection felt a bit heavy at times, but he was happy to see her talents blossom. She shined so brightly whenever she put her all into her work, no matter how scary she was sometimes. That was why he had to try and control the relationships around him without avoiding them, even though he was afraid of an uncertain future. It was natural; he couldn't give up this joyful life entirely to avoid death.
"So, Shine, don't blame yourself. Don't avoid the princess because of that. You have to do whatever you want. Even if you make me some enemies, you'll protect me, no?"
"Young master…" Shine laughed at the sight of Evan, trying to be considerate of him boldly. He was worthy of serving. Shine clenched his fists, thinking so.
"Absolutely. Even if a guy named Matthew invades, I will try to stop it. I will protect you."
"Okay, now you're talking like the name Silent Knight."
"… What the hell is that? Even if you avoid explaining what the game is and what Yo-ma war something means, can't you explain that? I'm really worried about it!"
Evan, of course, didn't answer.
The very next day, the party was finally held.