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On a sunny day, we arrived right in front of the Count’s House.

Everything that had happened at the Academy was more or less settled. Now, sitting in the carriage, the only thing on my mind was Shione.

Completely immersed in magic, every time the carriage halted, Shione would pull out her bow. And whenever we were stuck inside the carriage, she spent her time casting spells.

The problem was, if she practiced quietly alone, it was bearable.

“This is the basics… and if I count the enhancement magic circle…!”

Whoosh─!

Wasn’t that a stronger gust of wind hitting me than before?

I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but her increasingly refined magic sometimes slammed into me unexpectedly.

At first, I was flustered. Now I was just trying to hold back laughter, not that it was particularly comforting.

“Can we stop practicing wind magic now? My hair keeps blowing around; at this rate, I’m going to lose all my hair.”

“Hmm… then how about fire this time?”

“Do we even have a way to light the carriage on fire?”

The wind occasionally changed direction. Playing with fire was not something I wanted to witness.

In moments like this, if you toss a little snack, she would calm down for a while. So, I handed over some jerky I had saved up. That should buy me some peace for a bit.

Afterwards, upon arriving at the Count’s estate, we couldn’t help but express our questions.

“It seems like there are more people around than the last time. Is something going on, or is it just my imagination?”

“It doesn’t seem to be just your imagination.”

Was there some event that Ainel or Siabel was preparing? They had plenty of entertainment for the residents during the victory celebration last time; it wouldn’t make sense for them to plan another large-scale event in such a short time.

Even if the Count was a marquis, it was still notable that many commoners lived in these lands within the kingdom.

“There was a time when my only enjoyment was watching the streets from behind iron bars. There are definitely more people here than I saw back then.”

Today, the streets felt busier than any time I had seen before.

“Moreover, quite a few of them seem to be armed.”

In addition, I noticed that rather than peasants and peddlers, many fierce-looking women with weapons were standing out.

‘Have mercenaries come to the Count’s House?’

What kind of people were those who made mercenary work their living?

They willingly threw themselves into dangerous situations, hoping to strike it rich and barely scrape by. The Count’s House had never really drawn such mercenaries as a gathering place before.

Generally, the knights of the Count’s Order mainly handled the cleanup in the western region, and there weren’t many missions beyond a few in the eastern area. There was little reason for those seeking riches brimming with dangers to gather here.

Last time during the war, they had gathered briefly only to disperse rapidly.

‘It’s best to ask the commander about this.’

Usually, I’d ask our servants for rumors, but I didn’t have any close colleagues I could rely on. It might be okay to ask Diolia instead.

While I was contemplating this, I felt Shione looking at me with sad eyes for some reason.

“…What’s the matter?”

“Ray, I just thought… you said you lived as a slave before coming to our house. Living in those iron bars….”

“Is that what bothered you? It’s alright. I had some nice fluffy hay to sleep on, and I’m quite valuable, so they fed me well.”

Compared to other slaves, my living conditions were fairly good.

The fact that I had awakened my mana was significant. Plus, I was able to wield a sword. Because of that, they fed me well, and I wasn’t beaten like other slaves due to the worry that I might get injured.

I was pretty much just kept in there until I could be sold as a commodity.

‘Of course, thinking about it now, it was quite an absurd situation.’

And it hadn’t been a long period either.

Back then, I was filled with resentment over why I had to face such a situation, but now… with time passed, it felt like I was reminiscing about a distant era, and I could speak of it fairly calmly.

“Those iron bars… hay…”

“If you ask the Head of the Family, you could get more detailed information. After all, it was the Head who personally picked me.”

“Hmm….”

Shione, who was deep in thought, suddenly asked me.

“Is your accommodation alright now?”

“Thanks to the Count’s care, I’m lacking for nothing.”

“Really? Then—”

She shot me a subtle glance again.

“If you’re short on space, you can stay in my room.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why not? My room is spacious. Half of it is already yours. Just unpack, and we can share—”

Shione’s rampage had begun.

 

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