The Knight's Confrontation

"I am Silvia Aeneas, a knight of the Belmont family who will oversee your laps in Lord Aslan's stead."

"Eh?"

"I will not entertain questions. Start running!"

"Eh?"

Julia's face went slack with confusion. He had called it a punishment. The notoriously twisted Aslan Belmont had declared it a punishment. Yet all he ordered was laps around the training field? Something was off. Was he hiding his true intentions? Aslan stood behind Silvia with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression revealing nothing.

What the hell is going on?

Ten laps? How could something so trivial possibly count as punishment?

"Huff, huff! Haaah...!"

"Your form is sloppy. Your athletic ability leaves much to be desired."

"You... jerk...!"

They had barely completed two laps when Julia's stamina gave out, her posture crumbling. Aslan's lecturing only made it worse. The man himself looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over, his skin pale as paper, yet he had the nerve to criticize her!

"Charlotte is already on her fifth lap. Unlike some, it seems she has not neglected her physical training."

Charlotte sprinted past Julia in a blur. The comment, whether meant for her ears or not, made Julia's irritation spike. She has something Charlotte doesn't. Running with sandbags strapped to her legs, that's what this felt like.

"Ten laps. That will suffice."

"Haa, haaah..."

"Julia, you are still only on your fourth lap? Tsk. Pathetic stamina. This will not do. It simply will not do. You must become healthy. From now on, both of you will run every morning."

"As you command, Young Master."

"You both look thoroughly exhausted. Kuhahaha."

The moment Julia met Aslan's smile, a chill raced down her spine. So that was the goal—to drain our strength? What did he plan to do to them now that they were too weak to resist?

"Now that you are hungry, you will have no choice but to eat. Kuhahaha."

"Huh? Eh?"

Steam rose from warm meals served in dog bowls. Drool trickled from the corner of Julia's mouth. Just moments ago she had sworn she would never touch the food here. Yet after running until her body ached, her exhausted mind and stomach betrayed her.

"Charlotte..."

"Mmm?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Never mind. Eat."

"Mm!"

Charlotte was already devouring her portion with gusto. Didn't she just eat earlier? Pushing the thought aside, Julia swallowed hard and picked up a piece of warm bread. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a bite. The expected bitterness of poison never came. Instead, it tasted... good. Simply, wonderfully good. Or perhaps it only seemed that way because she had run herself ragged. Before she knew it, Julia was inhaling bread and soup in a trance.

"Kuhahaha. Have you finished eating?"

"...!?"

At the sound of Aslan's voice, Julia's hands trembled as she set the bowl down. She had let her guard down. This was all part of his scheme. He had turned her—the girl who refused to touch the food—into someone who ate without a second thought. What was he planning to do now that she was distracted?

"Your clothes are filthy and you reek of sweat. How unsanitary. Take them away and give them a bath."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Eh?"

Maids led Charlotte and Julia toward the grand bath. It was no strange or sinister place—just an ordinary bathhouse reserved for their use. Hot water... How long had it been since her last proper bath? And not in some cramped basin barely big enough for one person, but in a massive tub...

The moment she sank into the water, a forgotten pleasure spread across her skin. A blissful sigh escaped both girls, echoing through the bathhouse.

When they finally emerged, refreshed, pajamas tailored to their sizes awaited them.

It fits perfectly...

Something was wrong. It felt unpleasant. Unpleasant, yet strange. The man had clearly brought them here to use them. So what did he stand to gain by pretending to care for them like this? She could not understand it.

"Children must sleep early if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they wish to grow. Spend the night in a room so dark not a single ray of light can enter. Kuhahaha."

The door creaked shut, plunging the room into darkness. The bedding was soft and cozy. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from running, the full meal, and the bath, but Julia felt drowsiness wash over her almost immediately.

I cannot let my guard down... Charlotte.

"Mmm..."

"She's already asleep. Huh? Don't tell me..."

Was making them sleep the real goal? What did he intend to do while they were unconscious? Come to think of it, they had walked into this sealed underground room without any resistance. This was no time to relax. Julia tensed again, but Charlotte's leg wrapped around her and pulled her down onto the bed.

"Let go, Charlotte. We cannot afford to do this right now."

"Mmm. It's been so long since I slept on something this soft..."

"..."

Charlotte's sleepy muttering drained the strength from Julia's limbs. Now that she thought about it, how many years had it been? Warm food, a hot bath, a comfortable bed... These were things she had not even dreamed of since entering the orphanage. Why was Aslan giving them this? What did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he hope to gain? She needed to stay alert. She still had not uncovered his true intentions... Yet sleep kept tugging at her eyelids. Maybe, just this once...

"Damn it..."

She had thought she might actually sleep tonight. But as always, the incomprehensible whispers returned, forcing Julia's eyes wide open.

***

"This is driving me insane. Is there really no way to fix this speech pattern?"

All I had done the entire day was feed the children, bathe them, dress them in new clothes, and put them to bed. To any observer, it should have looked like perfectly normal, even kind behavior. Yet every word that left my mouth sounded like the mutterings of a scheming villain. Of course no one would take it at face value.

What kind of garbage skill set was this? And they were all passive. I could not even turn them off. Were there any other skills?

The lineup was so pathetic it looked like someone had gathered the most useless skills in existence. I wanted to throw away every passive skill if possible. The active skills probably would not see much use either. Ah, Touch of Death might work as a mosquito net substitute.

This body is useless for anything. I should give up on the idea of becoming strong and doing something with it.

I had to abandon ambition. I was not the protagonist of this game. My stats were nothing special, and my potential was low. To survive, social maneuvering mattered far more than anything else. I needed to gather as many good-aligned characters to my side as possible and eliminate the villains. That was the only way.

It was already deep into the night. I returned to the study to examine the mess Aslan had left behind. Toppled books, magic circles carved into the floor, various offerings... Anyone who saw this would assume black magic research was underway.

I cannot make sense of any of it.

Even flipping through the books was pointless. I could not read a single character. In that moment—

"Hm?"

More text flashed before my eyes, and I felt a change occur within my body. Aslan's memories. They were fragmented, spanning different time periods, so none of them held any real value. Even at only twenty-one percent...

I can read them.

The memories apparently included knowledge of the written language. I could now read the books. Some foundational knowledge had come along with it, allowing me to understand content about magic I had never seen before. Of course, understanding the words did not mean I comprehended the concepts. I would need to stay up all night and read them repeatedly to make any real progress.

I have plenty of time. This body seems nocturnal, so reading through the night should not be a problem.

The moment I pulled out a book and dragged over a chair, an unsettling sensation washed over me. It felt similar to Kali's gaze, but far weaker. Then, in the darkness, a pair of red eyes flashed.

"Young Master."

"What is it?"

Silvia Aeneas emerged slowly from the shadows. My heart nearly stopped, though my body remained calm. Was this thanks to the recent synchronization?

"Young Master, may I speak out of turn?"

"Speak."

"I have witnessed many of your depraved hobbies, but this time you have gone too far."

"..."

"Release the children. Before I do so myself."

As expected, this one. She hated me. And she hated me enough to repeat "extremely" six times.