Chapter 76 - "The Broken Trust"

…

The next day, early in the morning, Ivory woke up on the floor with only undies on, and the blanket was on her feet. She was shocked when she passed by the mirror, and while looking at the hickeys that Sigmund gave her last night, she turned beet red.

However, she felt that there was something missing in her memory.

Feeling a slight headache, she put on her checkered, long-sleeved turtleneck sweater and dark brown linen pants, then hurried to the dining area where she saw Lycus speaking with her parents.

Ivory greeted them before sitting down, and she noticed that her Servant wasn't around, "Have you seen Sigmund?"

"He's gathering firewood with Gordon," Anne answered. "He said he'll be back before you go to the academy."

"Guess what Ivory," Lycus looked at her with a smile on his face. "From now on, I shall attend Qawiun Academy as the principal's assistant."

"I see! What will you do then?" she took the sourdough bread from the basket and munched on it.

A chuckle escaped from him, "Roam around… But I'll probably follow you wherever you go."

"It's like Principal Arthurdane will be paying you to guard me."

The two of them laughed, and just in time, Sigmund and Gordon returned with a bunch of chopped wood.

As Sigmund stared blankly at Lycus and Ivory, he felt that his jealousy would eat him up anytime. He hated how Lycus stared at his Master amorously, and he hated the way how his Master smiled at him.

But he suddenly remembered what happened last night. When he left her in that odd state and ran out to the woods to think about things, he knew he needed to block their feelings for each other.

Because normally, a Servant like him wouldn't fall in love with anyone, especially his own Master. It was odd enough that his desires for his Master were too much, and he was already questioning the Goddess who made him immortal.

What the hell did She do to his life? He almost had the perfect life before the massacre of the Royal Family.

Twenty years ago, the Goddess assigned him to a great Master. It was Deshanna Fogheart, one of the best Royal Knights of the Silverblade Castle, who was assigned to be in charge of the youngest prince's security by the old king himself, His Majesty Ulysses Silverblade.

The prince had a great potential to become a powerful Master even without a Servant to unlock it. At the age of five, the mana locked in him was already seeping through his birthmark on his arm. Unfortunately, it was very painful for his small body to control his mana.

Because the child's life would be in danger if they wouldn't do anything about it, Sigmund became the kid's private tutor to help him understand more about the mana he held within him. While he spent time with the prince under the King's request, his Master was outside, training the new knight recruits.

He remembered he was a normal Servant back then. He never got jealous or too possessive towards his Master. He replenished mana only on his Master's wrist where her birthmark was located, and sipped only a fair amount just to replenish the mana that was lost.

He never kissed his Master, and it never crossed his mind for them to be lovers. Yet, they trusted each other very much, making their top quality mana one of the most powerful in the whole kingdom.

Until one day, Deshanna was asked to investigate a suspicious tavern in Umbria City. Sigmund wanted to come, but the young prince suddenly became ill due to his overflowing, uncontrollable mana. However, being the one who could sense mana types, he was left with the physicians so that there would be a thorough check-up once in while.

Having no one else available to accompany her, the King asked his Servant to accompany Deshanna. But the two of them didn't return that night.

A week later, Sigmund noticed that his Master had been avoiding his eyes, and whenever she and the King spoke, there would be a magic barrier, making him unable to listen to their conversation despite having heightened hearing. It was only after four months that he noticed what his Master was hiding.

This triggered his rage, but he only remembered making them fall asleep using an Advanced Magic technique in order to speak with the heavily-guarded King Ulysses about his Master's secret. The Vampire was really sure within himself that he didn't kill any of them.

He was dead sure he never used a sword or any weapon to kill them all, and until now, he didn't know why the whole Vampire Class was banished because of a sin he didn't remember that he did.

The next thing he knew, he was already summoned by Ivory in Qawiun Academy. He didn't know why he wore a warrior's bloody clothes.

As soon as he was summoned, he shortly heard Goddess Destinia's voice, saying that his class and the King's Servant's Class were banished. Her voice then dissipated after the summoning circle stopped glowing.

Because of one secret, the trust that he and his past Master built together for more than three years had shattered. This was the reason why Sigmund never allowed Ivory to keep secrets from him.

But even though the extraordinary mana, which disabled her from keeping secrets, enveloped her when she told him about her feelings, he got worried more than being happy. It was an eye-opener for him that he remembered how Almighty the Goddess was. She could unsummon him and make Ivory be unchosen anytime She wanted.

So for the first time, he was relieved that his Master couldn't remember anything, that she had confessed to him and that he awfully rejected her last night.

The Vampire tried to pretend that nothing happened, "You just woke up? You should eat faster, else we're going to be late."

"Geez, I really need to buy a tabletop alarm clock in Omegalion, but I don't have money, so-"

"Who's fault was it that you can't afford it now? You bought too much when we were in Prisma City," he started walking upstairs.

"Don't worry, before the year ends, I will be able to pay Lucius." She followed him behind, "To do this, I plan to make some wooden beads and sell many bracelets in the marketplace. Help me out and chop some wood, okay?"

"Maybe, if you stop being such a glutton."

"You meanie! I'm not a glutton, I just get hungry fast..."

And their voices faded as they bickered while going upstairs. Lycus asked Ivory's mother, "Mrs.. Sprucemint, are they always like that? Sigmund doesn't seem like a Servant to his own Master."