Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Early Education in Strategy and Tactics
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"Even though you're a bastard, you're still my child. On your birthday, I shall grant you a gift."
Father—that is, Duke Walter von Krushtein of House Krushtein—continued in a dignified voice.
A servant brought over a single sword.
It was quite a high-end piece.
A scabbard engraved with silver filigree and a perfectly balanced blade. No ordinary sword.
This was probably only possible because Mother had at least some of Father's favor.
"I'll put it to good use, Father."
I accepted it with due politeness.
"Good. Become an outstanding knight."
Of course, that didn't mean His Grace the Duke had any real interest in me.
Just like with the other bastards, he had none for me either.
That's why he was spouting lines like that.
A knight?
Me, the slacker who skipped sword training half the time?
If anyone was showing interest in me, it was probably more from Brother Ernst.
A fortunate thing, really.
How much did a history professor even make? I had to get by on Brother's allowance.
After Father departed, my siblings trickled away one by one.
"Adrian."
Brother Ernst approached.
"Brother."
"Happy birthday."
He beckoned, and a servant stepped forward.
It was a girl.
She looked a couple years younger than me—around eight, maybe.
Curiously, she had rare silver hair, and a black eyepatch covered her left eye.
"This is my gift to you."
"...Pardon?"
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
Ernst explained.
"She was going cheap at the auction house, so I picked her up. She's an enhanced human, but a defective one—can't even make a knight out of her."
"......"
"They said she'd work fine as a maid, though. And since you're not much for fighting, keeping her around as a bodyguard ought to help."
Ernst patted the girl's shoulder.
The girl said nothing.
She simply kept her head bowed, staring at the floor.
"Thank you, Brother."
I bowed my head for the time being.
Ernst smiled, looking pleased, and took his leave.
And then all that was left...
Was me and the silver-haired girl.
I looked her over.
Pretty cute, actually.
Pale skin, slender frame. She looked poorly nourished.
Her right eye was a clear gray, but the left was hidden behind the eyepatch.
"What's your name?"
I asked.
"......"
The girl didn't respond.
She only bowed her head lower.
"Is she mute?"
I asked one of the nearby servants—the one who often attended the young master.
"No, she's not mute, young master. One-eyed, though."
"......"
I let out a sigh.
Enhanced human.
In this world, that meant a being whose body had been remade through magic.
They were typically used as war slaves or guinea pigs for dangerous experiments.
And a 'defective product'...
Meant one that had failed the experiments or outlived its usefulness.
'Brother Ernst, honestly...'
Cheap, he said—probably not even a few gold coins.
He'd bought a kid fated for the trash heap just to make it my birthday present.
"Silver hair—maybe some noble blood from foreign lands?"
"Hah, as if."
The servant snickered.
"Just ended up that way from the experiments. The young master bought her because her mana heart had been modified decently enough to raise as a knight... but it just didn't pan out. So he passed her on to you as a gift. They did say her guarding skills are serviceable, at least."
"Mana modification done well, but still couldn't make knight?"
"That's right. She's got the skills, but the personality... well."
The servant trailed off vaguely.
Hic...
Hic...
At that moment, the girl let out a strange noise.
Like hiccups, or maybe muffled sobs.
Her body trembled faintly as the sound repeated.
"......"
I watched the girl.
Probably the personality problem.
It reminded me of that pink-haired protagonist from some anime in my past life.
The one who was extremely shy around people—could barely speak in front of strangers.
The main difference? Pink hair versus silver.
How the hell was I supposed to make use of her?
A bodyguard, they said, but in that state? Doubtful.
Still...
Not the worst.
I thought to myself.
Life with a beautiful maid girl.
Something I couldn't have dreamed of in my previous life.
"You're ten, right?"
I asked the girl.
No response, as expected.
Just the endless hic... hic...
"From now on, I'm your master."
I said it gently.
The girl nodded.
It was a tiny motion, but unmistakable.
'At least she's not deaf.'
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"So, your name?"
"......"
No dice there either.
I turned to the servant.
"What's her name?"
"Even the young master didn't know. They just called her 'Lot 17' at the auction house."
"......"
I led the girl back to my room.
As we walked the corridor, she toddled after me.
Hic. Hic.
The sound kept going.
Servants passing by shot sidelong glances.
'What freakish thing did the young master gift Adrian?'
That was the vibe.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't bug me, but I was already stamped as the 'bookworm bastard.'
A little more weird wouldn't change much.
We reached my room.
I opened the door, revealing the familiar space.
Better than the other bastards' quarters.
Spacious bed, solid desk, bookshelves lining the walls.
Thanks to Mother's favor with Father—and my own trust from big brother.
"Come in."
I told the girl.
She stepped inside cautiously.
Hic. Hic.
Still shaking.
At first, it was kind of cute.
That small, fragile body quivering—it stirred some protective instinct.
Felt like the fantasy of a 'beautiful maid' from my past life had come true.
But...
Hic. Hic. Hic.
The nonstop noise started getting on my nerves.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes.
No sign of stopping.
I sat at the desk and watched her.
The girl stood by the door, head drooped low, eyes fixed on the floor.
Like she wished she could melt into the wall.
Hic. Hic. Hic.
And that damn hiccup showed no signs of quitting.
I sighed and flipped open the book on the desk.
The Evolution of Tax Systems
What I'd planned to read today.
But...
Hic. Hic.
Couldn't get through a single line.
The words wouldn't stick.
That sound drilled into my ears—no way to focus.
Goddamn it.
How was I supposed to read like this?
I slammed the book shut and turned to the girl.
Still by the door, head bowed, trembling away.
Hic. Hic.
Like a broken wind-up doll stuck on repeat.
I stood up. Had to calm her down somehow.
This wasn't livable—for me or her. She looked miserable.
I approached her slowly.
"Hey, calm down a bit..."
I reached out to touch her shoulder.
In that instant—
Click.
The girl's hand shot out.
Lightning-quick.
Before I could react, her slender fingers twisted my wrist with ease.
"Ugh!"
A sharp pain lanced through.
My wrist joint wrenched.
She hadn't even put real force into it, but it felt like my bones might snap.
The girl kept her head bowed.
Hic. Hic.
The trembling didn't stop. Neither did the weird noise.
But her grip had my wrist perfectly locked down.
An instinctive reaction.
Like a conditioned reflex—body trained to restrain anyone who got too close.
Angle, position, force distribution. Flawless.
A little more pressure, and my wrist would've shattered.
She let go. Bowed her head even deeper, freezing in place like a statue.
Hic. Hic.
The shaking got worse.
She must've realized what she'd done.
I rubbed my wrist.
A red mark lingered.
Enhanced human. Mana heart modification.
I'd just felt it firsthand.
Protective instincts? Bullshit.
She was given to protect me, first off.
"S-sorry!"
Her first proper words.
Then the trembling ramped up again.
Hic. Hic.
I rubbed my wrist and thought.
Hard to even scold her like this.
Couldn't beat her in strength.
Scared little girl or not, her reflexes and combat instincts were leagues above mine.
Mess up, and I'd be the one hurt.
I sighed and sat back at the desk.
"Not gonna hit you or yell. So quit shaking."
She kept trembling.
Hic. Hic.
A moment of silence passed.
I fiddled with the history book on the desk.
"...Want me to tell you a fun story?"
I ventured carefully.
Hic. Hic.
But then...
Hic... Hic...
The pauses between grew a touch longer.
Subtle, but I felt it.
Head still down, but her ears twitched faintly upright. Like she was waiting to hear what I'd say.
What to tell her?
Imperial history?
Hm... But I didn't know it inside out.
This world's history books weren't that detailed.
Just bare bones: "Who beat whom where and when."
Making a proper imperial history.
That was one reason I wanted to become a history professor.
Turn this world's history into stories people actually wanted to read.
So... a tale from my past life.
The one I'd played as a game, read as a novel, watched as anime.
"Long, long ago, in the vast eastern empire that split into three."
I began slowly.
The girl's trembling eased just a fraction.
"That empire knew peace for centuries. But the emperor grew inept, eunuchs seized power, and the land rotted from within."
I leaned against the desk and kept going.
"Then one day, the people rose in revolt. They called it the Yellow Turban Rebellion."
Hic...
The gaps widened more.
I pressed on with the tale.
"In that chaos, three men met. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei. The three swore brotherhood beneath a peach orchard."
That's right.
The story I was telling her was none other than...
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
"Peach Garden... Oath...?"
At that moment, I had no idea. That the monster I was raising...