Chapter 61: The Freya Ducal House 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: The Freya Ducal House 3
Once I’d processed the situation, I scrambled to lift my head from Johanna’s lap.
I’d never exactly been known for making "normal" first impressions, but this was a new low even for me. To think my first meeting with her family would involve me using her as a pillow. As much as I prided myself on being shameless, even I felt a bit of a sting of embarrassment.
As I pulled away, I stole a glance at Johanna. She sat with her head bowed, her face a deep, burning crimson.
‘Well, it makes sense.’
From Johanna’s perspective, she had just been caught by her entire family with a man lying on her lap. It was only natural for her to be mortified.
Even the servants were staring. They had definitely seen me.
While Johanna was likely dying of shame, a chill ran down my spine for a different reason. Johanna was terrible at expressing her emotions, so people meeting her for the first time often misunderstood her. But the people of House Freya, who had known her for a lifetime, were different.
Not just her family, but even the servants loved Johanna for her clumsy yet kind nature. Just how much they loved her was evident in their actions after Johanna’s death in Croaka.
[House Freya was consumed by a singular, burning rage.]
[They learned that Johanna Freya, who died trying to save others, had perished because of Rophri Alphser’s lies.]
[Every member of House Freya marched upon the Archen Kingdom. Their sole objective: Rophri’s death.]
[They cut down anyone who stood in their way while they hunted Rophri, no matter who they were.]
[The gardener mowed down knights with his pruning shears; the chef butchered soldiers with his kitchen knives.]
[Current knights. Those who once dreamed of knighthood. Those who had retired to pursue other lives. Every single one of them took up the sword to avenge Johanna Freya.]
[Their opponent was an entire kingdom, but to them, such things did not matter.]
[And at the very front, killing more than anyone else, stood one man.]
[The pinnacle of knighthood. The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman. Duke Freya. The father of the late Johanna Freya. His blade of vengeance was aimed at the heart of the Archen Kingdom.]
The name of that chapter was <The Fall of the Archen Kingdom>.
"Hee-hee~?"
Perhaps I had been too lost in thought. I hadn't noticed someone approaching me.
Askal Freya, the Young Head of House Freya and the youngest person to ever join the Imperial Knights, scanned me with eyes full of curiosity.
"You really do dress as strangely as the rumors say, don't you?"
Askal had the same platinum blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes as Johanna. However, unlike Johanna’s hair, which flowed down to her waist, Askal’s was cut to a sharp shoulder length.
"By the way, what exactly is your relationship with our Johanna? Hmm? Come on, you can tell your big sister."
But the biggest difference was her personality. Askal spoke as she naturally draped an arm over my shoulder. To an outsider, it would look like we were old friends.
"Huh?"
Askal, who had been smiling with her arm around me, let out a surprised sound. Johanna had reached out and brushed Askal’s arm off my shoulder.
"Johanna, what was that for?"
"....Loki is uncomfortable."
I am? Since when?
Askal’s lips curled into a smirk at Johanna’s reaction.
"It hurts my feelings when you act like that. Are you actually being wary of your own sister because he's your boyfriend?"
At Askal’s words, Johanna jumped and stammered.
"Wh-what! ........ He’s not...... my boyfriend."
The more Johanna reacted, the wider Askal’s smirk grew.
"Hmm. So he’s not your boyfriend, yet you let him use your lap as a pillow?"
"That’s......"
Johanna’s face turned red again, likely reliving the scene from moments ago. Askal looked delighted, as if she were seeing this side of Johanna for the first time. She was genuinely enjoying teasing her sister.
Normally, I would have joined in, but right now, I couldn't say a word. It was because of Duke Freya, who was currently staring at me with his sword drawn.
"The sisters get along quite well, don't they?"
As I stood there frozen, Duchess Freya approached and spoke to me. I looked over at Johanna and Askal.
"If he's not your boyfriend, then what are you? What's the deal?"
"......Ugh."
"Come on, just tell me. I'll keep it a secret."
Askal was one-sidedly bullying Johanna, but they did seem to have a genuine bond.
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Loki. Thank you for inviting me."
The Duchess told me I could make myself at home during my stay. However, it was hard to feel at home when someone was still staring at me with a drawn sword.
Please, someone stop him.
"Dear, put that sword away."
As if she had heard my internal plea, the Duchess called out to Duke Freya.
"My lady, people might misunderstand if they heard you. I merely took it out for a moment to maintain the blade. I had no intention of cutting the boy down."
Then, Duke Freya spoke.
"First, let us head to the training grounds to see your skills."
No matter how I look at it, I don't think I'm misunderstanding anything.
Unfortunately for the Duke—and fortunately for me—the Duchess intervened.
"Hoho, shall we eat first?"
Thanks to Duchess Freya, I managed to avoid a terrifying "date" at the training grounds that would have likely resulted in my heart physically stopping.
* * *
"Hoho, it seems Derek put a lot of effort into this since Johanna was coming home."
The Duchess spoke as she looked at the feast spread across the table. It seemed Derek was the family's chef. Just as she said, the table was laden with an uncountable number of delicious-looking dishes. It was far more than five people could ever eat.
"By the way, is it alright for you to be here right now?"
The Duchess directed her question at Askal, who was still busy teasing Johanna. As she implied, it didn't make much sense for Askal, a member of the Imperial Knights, to be here at this hour.
"My little sister is bringing a man home; how could I just sit still? I'm so glad I came. I never expected to see such a sight the moment I arrived."
The "sight" she was referring to was definitely me lying on Johanna’s lap.
Snap.
The sharp crack of breaking metal echoed through the room. Everyone turned toward the source of the noise. There stood Duke Freya, holding a snapped dinner knife in his hand. Just how much strength had he applied to it?
"It must have been a defective product."
The knife in the Duke's hand looked high-quality even at a glance. In the first place, the idea of a "defective product" existing in a Ducal household was absurd.
"I heard about you from His Majesty and that fellow," Duke Freya said to me after receiving a new knife.
That fellow? Who?
"May I ask who you are referring to?"
"Duke Adelian. Your name came up while we were corresponding recently. His Majesty mentioned he’s been teaching you lately, and that fellow got furious when he heard it. He claimed he had taken you as his disciple first."
"That child is being taught by His Majesty and Duke Adelian?"
"................."
"Oho."
Upon hearing that, Duchess Freya, Johanna, and Askal all wore shocked expressions. After all, where else could you find someone being tutored by both the Emperor and Duke Adelian?
Askal looked at me with even more interest than before, while Johanna glared at her.
"I became quite curious myself, seeing as both the Emperor and that man are coveting a student. That is why I invited you."
Duke Freya said this while staring at me. No matter how I looked at it, that wasn't the real reason. He had called me here because of Johanna.
Sting.
I felt a sensation like being pricked by needles. The Duke’s pressure washed over me—a sharp, piercing aura. However, I was someone who had endured the Emperor’s Domination. No matter how great Duke Freya was, there was no reason I couldn't withstand pressure exerted without the use of mana.
"Now that you've seen me in person, what do you think?"
Having withstood the pressure, I spoke to the Duke with composure.
"Hmph. I think I understand a little better why His Majesty and that fellow were so interested."
"Dear, the food is going to get cold. Let's save the rest of the talk for after we eat."
As the Duchess spoke, the pressure weighing down on me vanished.
"But how are you going to eat?" the Duchess asked, looking at my mask.
"I heard you even eat with that mask on?" Askal added from the side. Where on earth did she hear that?
"Then I suppose it doesn't matter if you keep it on," Duke Freya said, seemingly indifferent to that detail.
"No. I will take the mask off to eat."
I stated my intention to remove it. Honestly, eating with a mask on is rude. I didn't mind being thick-skinned about it at the Academy, but doing so here, as an invited guest, felt very wrong. Besides, there was no need to wear the mask when I wasn't training.
"I'm really curious about the face hidden under there. Are you handsome? If you are, my heart might flutter a little."
Askal spoke playfully, and I responded in kind.
"You mustn't fall for me, you know?"
Just as I reached up to grab the mask and pull it off—
"No!"
Johanna shouted, her voice uncharacteristically loud.