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Revealing my true identity to Shione didn’t change my daily life at all. She treated me as she always did, and I, in turn, continued to interact with her just the same.

If anything had changed, it was that the topics of conversation had slightly increased. Of course, these topics revolved around me. Thanks to her consistent questions, I found myself sharing a considerable amount about my life with Shione.

Today, like any sunny morning, I was having a simple chat with Shione.

Knock. Knock.

In the midst of our monotonous routine, a guest arrived.

“Shione…”

She was dressed modestly, still wearing her pajamas and a casual outfit, albeit with no real effort, still curled up under the blanket and staring blankly at the door. It seemed she had no intention of checking who had come to visit.

Well, what could I do? I couldn’t leave the guest waiting outside indefinitely. I had to check it for myself.

“I’ll go and check.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that.”

As I walked over, I hastily arranged my appearance. I figured it was decent enough that no one would criticize me, even if they saw me.

I opened the door to greet the guest, and my eyes landed on a familiar face I hadn’t seen in a while.

Siabel Shianella. The woman who led the knights on the castle walls in a fierce battle against monsters had come to visit.

“Siabel? What brings you here?”

Perk!

As soon as I uttered Siabel’s name, Shione perked up and started to untangle herself from the blanket, slowly getting out of bed. Normally, a servant would have just let it slide, but it seemed the news of her sister’s visit had piqued her interest.

“There’s only one reason for me to meet my pupil.”

Siabel grinned, raising an eyebrow. I took in her casual outfit as she shrugged her shoulders, noting it wasn’t formal wear.

“Not in formal attire, huh?”

Usually, one would be dressed properly in the mansion, but she wore loose-fitting clothes, the kind she often donned during training. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and apart from her lack of armor, she looked exactly like she did during our intense sword practice with Diolia.

“…Looks like she’s here to teach me the sword.”

Indeed, Siabel had mentioned wanting to take me on as her disciple before. Shione had nodded in agreement about her sister teaching me swordsmanship.

I was supposed to start right after the festival, but that plan had been completely derailed thanks to those wretched demon worshippers causing havoc in the territory.

Now that some time had passed, and the situation was stabilizing, it seemed Siabel had come to finally make that happen.

“Sis,”

Before long, Shione had gotten out of bed and approached Siabel.

“Siione’s awake now.”

“…Awake?”

Siabel pretended to rub her eyes.

“I see you were sleeping until just now.”

“Ah…!”

Quickly, Shione rubbed her eyes and started fixing her hair as if it were a reflex.

She brushed her hair back, clearing her throat to shake off the embarrassment, a cute reaction to forget her flustered state.

“Sis, does that mean you’re here to start teaching Ray swordsmanship today?”

“Yeah. If possible, I’d like to start today or tomorrow. Is it okay if I take him for a bit?”

“Well… there’s no problem with that, but…”

Shione’s gaze shifted from Siabel to me.

“Ray, are you really okay with learning swordsmanship? It might be pretty tough.”

Her tone sounded worried, but her eyes held no trace of concern. Considering how many times Shione had heard about my swordsmanship, she likely wanted to confirm if I had any reservations about being taught by Siabel. Of course, the choice was mine to make.

I answered according to my thoughts.

“Yes, I’d like to request this opportunity to refine my sword skills.”

Part of me felt sincere about that.

The sword was merely a secondary weapon to me. My proficiency was certainly lacking compared to my archery skills. It wouldn’t hurt to learn. Training was more about instinctively honing one’s abilities through practice than deeply delving into complex techniques.

“Siabel was quite the beast during our last sparring session.”

That last duel was purely swordsmanship without the use of mana.

In that duel, Siabel had demonstrated an almost demonic skill level, and the longer the duel dragged on, the more she drained my spirit. Her swordplay had already proven itself to be formidable.

Having swung a sword for years, Siabel could help me identify my shortcomings.

“At least there’s nothing to lose from mixing swords with her.”

Sparring would be an experience, and battling against that off-putting blade would ensure the senses awakened in me during the battle on the castle wall wouldn’t dull again.

So, I planned to engage in some swordplay with Siabel.

“If you say so…”

Even Shione seemed to acknowledge my determination, nodding in agreement.

Having confirmed my intention, Shione turned her attention back to Siabel.

“So, sis, would it be alright if I come along and watch?”

With a puzzled tilt of her head, Shione asked as Siabel smiled and ruffled her hair. Predictably, the neat hairstyle Shione had just restored became a mess again.

“Of course, that’s perfectly fine. Are you worried about Ray?”

“Well, that’s—”

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to be too rough with him. We’ll just have a few sparring sessions before I teach him a proper training sword.”

“Alright, sis.”

“Mm.”

“Hey, sis… could you stop messing with my hair for a second…”

Finally, Siabel ceased her playful ruffling of Shione’s hair.

“Ugh…”

Shione pouted softly, complaining as she rearranged her tousled hair.

Tap, tap! With delicate steps, Shione brought back a small comb from somewhere and began to slowly brush her hair.

Within her eyes lay a hint of mild resentment. Siabel seemed pleased with that reaction, smiling satisfied as she stepped back a pace.

“Now, let’s head out. I’ve prepared a sword for you to use.”

With that, Siabel began to hum a lively tune as she led the way.

Shione and I followed behind her in silence, like children trailing after a piper.

However, in the midst of this quiet, Shione appeared to want to play a prank on Siabel, who had just ruffled her hair.

She repeatedly lifted her hand toward Siabel’s tied-back hair, only to retract it at the last moment.

“Shione, are you trying to mess with my hair?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Finally, Shione got caught by Siabel and was playfully ruffled once more.

*

Thinking I was going to be taught swordsmanship, I figured we were headed to the training hall.

Siabel led Shione past the training ground and out to a more secluded area.

It seemed like it had been a while since Shione came this way, as she appeared nostalgic, looking around. Meanwhile, I was the only one wondering what lay at the end of this unfamiliar path.

“Siabel, haven’t we already passed the training hall?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Then may I ask why we’re heading this way?”

“That’s—”

Siabel slowed her pace to answer.

“I got permission to use Mother’s private training area. We’ll be training there.”

Mother’s private training area? Was that where Ainel practiced separately?

Even when I first came to the Count’s Mansion to follow Ainel, I’d never seen her honing her sword skills. And while I learned the geography of this place, I hadn’t received an in-depth description of its outer regions—ones like this one—and no one seemed keen on explaining it to me.

Since I was already quite accustomed to the Count’s Mansion, I felt a small spark of excitement at discovering something new.

Just then, Shione spoke up cautiously.

“Mother’s private training area…? Sis, hasn’t she—”

Before Shione could finish her sentence, Siabel narrowed her eyes and shot me a glance.

Then, before Shione could say any more, she turned and ruffled her sister’s hair again.

“No need to worry. Mother’s given her approval for this.”

“…Understood.”

“Exactly.”

After making us all curious with their cryptic dialogue, Siabel and Shione simply resumed walking quietly.

I also moved in silence, blending with the subdued atmosphere around us.

Before long, a building came into view.

It was a training room for knights with a ceiling; spacious enough for a knight to practice alone and adequate for two knights to spar without colliding swords.

It appeared well-maintained, showing no signs of neglect, but it had been a long time since it had been used for proper training; aside from that, I could hardly find evidence of any other occupants.

“I plan to teach you swordsmanship here about three times a week from now on. Your sword and other gear are prepared over there, so take a look.”

“Understood.”

I glanced over at the swords and gear as Siabel instructed, then relaxed my body.

By the time I felt a surge of energy stirring within me, Siabel and I donned our protective gear.

Shione’s only role was to step back and watch us.

“Now, let’s gauge your skills.”

“Skills? Didn’t you see that in our last spar?”

“No, not just pure swordsmanship, but your abilities when utilizing mana effectively.”

Siabel smiled broadly as she said this.

It was the most genuine smile I had seen from her today—full of amusement, curiosity, and a palpable sense of eager anticipation.

“Ray, you said you could infuse your arrows with magic. Surely you can do the same with your sword.”

Standing confidently, like a noble with ice in her veins, Siabel Shianella wore a playful smirk that could only belong to a mischievous little devil.

“Can you show me that right now?”

 

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