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I locked eyes with Eunice Kalia, who stood a distance away with her knights.

She was the eldest daughter of the Kalia Marquis Family, expected to become the head of the family. She hadn’t changed much since the last time I saw her in the Royal Castle nearly half a year ago.

The only noticeable difference was that, instead of her usual elegant and expensive attire, she was now wearing armor marked with scars from battle.

And… she was renowned for her skill with a sword and shield as a knight. Sure enough, Eunice Kalia was equipped just as the rumors described, wielding a broadsword and iron shield.

‘So a knight really is a knight, huh.’

A bizarre preference for strong men…

To be honest, ever since that day when I had clearly imprinted in my mind her graceful sword dance and strange obsession.

I had only the image of a noble girl who shouted for the knights.

Now, she looked like the commander leading a family into battle.

As I quietly gazed at her, Shione, who was walking beside me, met my gaze.

Tap tap.

She lightly nudged my arm and asked.

“Ray. Who are you staring at so obviously?”

Her voice was tinged with discontent.

It seemed my princess wasn’t too pleased about her slave staring at another woman.

I momentarily diverted my gaze from Eunice and replied.

“Do you see the person over there with the sword and shield?”

“Yeah, I see. Oh, she’s looking this way too.”

“That lady is Eunice Kalia, the eldest daughter of the Kalia Marquis Family.”

“That person… I mean, that woman is the Marquis’s young lady?”

At Shione’s cautious question, it wasn’t me or Friel Arielte who responded, but Diolia.

Diolia, quietly observing behind us, was watching Cotton Puff above my head with care. Finally, she shifted her focus from the spirit to address us.

“Indeed, that refined brown hair and those obsidian-like black eyes… she seems to resemble Allen Kalia from the Marquis family.”

She was correct.

Brown hair was common. Diolia herself had shades of brown in her hair. However, not all browns are the same.

Those with Kalia blood didn’t have that dull shade; instead, they possessed a deep and elegant brown akin to mahogany, radiating sophistication.

This aspect held true for both Allen Kalia and Eunice Kalia. Once you noticed her unique deep and quiet, pitch-black eyes, there was no denying that she was indeed a young lady of the Marquis family.

“Exactly. That lady is Eunice Kalia. Ray, you got it right in one shot. Have you met the Marquis’s young lady before?”

“Once, just once… we crossed paths in the Royal Castle.”

“Oh… considering that….”

Friel’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her turquoise pupils gleamed sharply, giving off a cold vibe. Yet, the corners of her mouth were upturned.

“It seems the young lady has been gazing at you for quite some time?”

Yes, Friel was right.

She was indeed staring at me.

Especially fixated on the sword strapped to my waist.

‘Well, it is the sword that Eunice gave me as a present.’

So her interest in the sword wasn’t surprising.

There’s nothing more delightful than seeing someone make good use of a gift you’ve given them.

Feeling Eunice’s gaze upon me was a bit daunting.

“Ow….”

I felt a sharp pain in my side.

Shione had pinched me!

“Ray, explain.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why is the Kalia young lady interested in you? Did something happen between you two?”

“… I’ve already told you everything that happened with her, haven’t I?”

How we had briefly talked after she captured me, and through that conversation, I received the sword now at my waist. I had informed her of everything adequately, and I remembered Shione was a bit sulky then but ultimately understood.

However, when she suddenly asked again if something had happened, I wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

“C-Can you let go of my side first?”

“Hmmm… so aside from what you mentioned before, nothing else happened, right?”

“Of course not. Besides, look at the young lady now. She’s not looking at me; she’s looking at this sword. Isn’t it natural to keep an eye on something she gave me herself?”

“… I understand.”

Finally, Shione released her pinch on my side.

But she wore a somewhat determined expression as she briefly observed Eunice Kalia, showing signs of a peculiar wariness towards her.

Whether it mattered or not, we were getting closer to Eunice Kalia, and soon after, the groups of the Marquis and Count’s houses were set to face each other.

‘The reaction isn’t bad at all.’

The knights of the Marquis family welcomed us, even though we were outsiders and humans stepping into the Great Forest.

It seemed like they had been stationed here for a while. Perhaps they had been yearning to meet someone of their kind again.

‘Well…’

Unlike us who were specifically drawn here by the High Elf’s prophecy.

The Marquis’s knights likely had other reasons for coming here that were more pressing than ours.

They must have faced a harder time dealing with the high-handedness of the elves compared to us. Being knights and stationed here, they probably had to mix among the forest guardians, which couldn’t have been easy.

However, what was concerning was that, unlike the knights who were excited in their demeanor, the leaders of each group didn’t carry a friendly atmosphere.

‘After all, the Count and Marquis families don’t see eye to eye.’

The ancestors of both sides held grudges.

If they were to fight, they would have instead preferred to confront each other directly, but the lingering awkwardness left them at a standoff, with both families having little interaction. Even now, it seemed that disagreements still brewed.

What could be felt in the present was the subtle gap even between those from the Count’s and Marquis’s houses.

‘Shione looked pretty worn out after finishing her talks with the head of her family.’

After discussing the suspicious aspects concerning Allen Kalia, she had seemed quite upset during our conversation. If I recalled correctly, she had sought comfort in me quite a bit, which wasn’t obvious but still evident that, as a Shianella, she found it challenging to face the Kalia Marquis Family.

“You must be… Shione Shianella. I am Eunice Kalia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

“The pleasure is mine. By the way… you recognized me the moment you saw me.”

Eunice Kalia shook hands with Shione, albeit a bit stiffly.

“Of course. Your name is quite famous among the forest dwellers.”

“… My name?”

“Surely. It seems fitting to call you the king of this place. The tale of the prophesied hero mentioned by the High Elf has spread widely, as has your name. It would be far easier to find someone who knows your name than those who don’t.”

“Hmm… I see…”

Shione’s cheeks began to blush at the mention of the prophesied hero.

…To indeed be called a prophesied hero; it felt somewhat embarrassing.

“Moreover—”

Even observing Shione, Eunice Kalia held her composure and continued.

“The Kalia Marquis has been waiting here to greet the last remaining team, which consists of you and the Alenar family, just before the military meeting begins.”

“… I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“No, not at all. It’s not every day I get to meet a fellow human being, let alone an elf. This is nothing.”

As Shione nodded in response to Eunice’s words, her gaze suddenly turned towards me.

“However, I must request… if you could spare some time later for me to speak with the young lady alone.”

“What do you mean by time—”

Shione subtly glanced over to Friel, as she was the one most familiar with our schedule.

Once Friel nodded, Shione was able to provide an answer to Eunice.

“It seems possible.”

Eunice Kalia smiled satisfactorily at Shione’s response.

Her demeanor seemed to soften slightly more than before.

“Then let’s move. Chelness and Ianette are waiting for us.”

Despite having stared at my sword with such interest earlier, she remained ever so calm and didn’t engage me in any conversation.

We followed her footsteps and soon arrived at a rather large tent.

“This is it.”

Eunice Kalia stepped aside at the entrance of the tent, and Shione, Diolia, and Friel entered one after the other.

I ended up being the last to enter.

Just as I was about to step inside the tent, Eunice’s voice came from beside me, quietly observing those who entered.

“… The Shianella’s knight.”

At the term pointed at me, I turned to look.

“It’s been a while, Ray. You’ve become an even better knight than before.”

Eunice Kalia gazed at me with a faint smile.

“I see you’re still wearing the sword I gave you. Seems you liked it?”

“… The sword is truly remarkable. I’m simply grateful for your gift.”

“Hm… I was fortunate because it was somewhat expensive. I’m glad to see you’re putting it to good use. But you don’t really have to thank me.”

“Pardon?”

“That was the condition, wasn’t it? You’d share a conversation in exchange for a small gift.”

I couldn’t find a meaningful response in this situation, so I quietly remained silent.

Thanks to that, the direction of our conversation shifted onto Eunice instead of me.

“And… we also made another promise back then. The reason I’m holding you now is precisely due to that promise. Do you remember?”

…Of course, I remember.

What I was to receive for a brief conversation with her wasn’t merely the sword, but the favor of Eunice Kalia, the next heir of the Kalia Marquis family regarding their Shianella lineage.

As I subtly nodded to her words, the hint of a smile on Eunice’s lips grew slightly more pronounced.

“There’s much I want to discuss, but it would be strange to spend too long here talking… so, according to the promise made before, I’d like to share something that could benefit the Count’s house. Since your relationship with the young lady is still shallow… and because Friel from the Arielte family is nearby, we couldn’t talk earlier, but now we can mention it briefly without attracting others’ ears.”

“… When you say something that could benefit the Count’s house—”

Step by step.

Eunice approached me, her expression unreadable.

When she got close enough that I could almost touch her, she pointed to her ear with her index finger and whispered quietly.

“If you get caught up in their story, you’ll face significant trouble.”

As Eunice moved past me into the tent, she warned, “Be cautious of the elves from the Ianette family inside the tent. You might not remember, but… they are just as I described before.”

She inclined her head slightly, meeting my gaze.

Then, she shared a nearly inaudible whisper that was hard to catch unless one focused solely on her.

“They’re cunning and selfish.”

Ianette.

Eunice warned me about the elves holding that name with a look of disgust.

 

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