Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: First Steps Toward a Dream (4)
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Reina stared blankly at Shirone, who was breathing heavily. It couldn't be called a performance, so she couldn't judge his musical sense, but his insight into the essence of it was beyond imagination.
‘Who is he? Why is a boy like this a butler…?’
“Ah, so noisy! You old hag!”
Shirone and Reina simultaneously turned toward the hallway.
“If you're home, wash your feet and go to sleep, or play a lullaby! Don't throw a tantrum here just because you got your butt kicked somewhere else!”
Messy hair. Half-closed, drowsy eyes. Rian, still drunk on sleep, entered the room, scratching his washboard abs. Then he saw Shirone sitting next to his sister and tilted his head.
“Huh? Shirone, what are you doing here?”
“Well, I… um…”
It would be a disaster if Reina found out he was friends with Rian.
But Rian, seemingly oblivious, mumbled something before suddenly clutching his stomach and bursting into laughter.
“Puhahaha! Don't tell me… you came to get *that*?”
Shirone's face flushed with unbearable embarrassment. If Reina found out about Rian's crime, how would she see him? And how humiliated would she be?
“No! I just came in for a second.”
“No? What do you mean, no? Congratulations, Shirone. You've finally become a man.”
Rian was relentless. Of course, among family members, underwear was probably as trivial as a dishcloth. But for Shirone, who was on the receiving end, the pressure was unbearable.
“What? You two know each other?”
“Shirone? Oh, he's my friend.”
“Rian! What are you talking about?”
“Hahaha! It's fine. That witch might have a nasty temper, but she doesn't care about this kind of stuff at all.”
*Is that really true?*
He knew she had an artistic and open-minded personality. But this was the most serious kind of situation that could occur between a noble and a commoner.
“So your name is Shirone. Don't worry. If Rian says you're his friend, then you're his friend. He may be a pathetic little brother, but he's not the type to play tricks on people.”
Shirone didn't let go of his suspicious gaze. While some might have been offended, Reina actually took Shirone's attitude as a good sign. True trust, after all, often sprouts from doubt.
“But you're really unusual. How did you play like that earlier?”
“What? Shirone was playing? I thought you were having one of your hysterical fits again.”
Shirone's brow furrowed. He couldn't understand how someone could call such a pretty and kind sister a witch or hysterical.
“Rian, why did you lie to me? She's so kind and nice.”
“Shirone, don't be fooled! This woman is a witch! She might eat you one day!”
Rian grabbed Shirone's shoulders and shook him. Rian's expression was too serious to be dismissed as a joke.
“Hehe, I'm sorry. My brother is just so immature. Still, it's reassuring to know he has a friend like you, Shirone. Please take good care of my pathetic, good-for-nothing brother.”
Rian walked over to the table and poured some water. Between siblings, words often went in one ear and out the other anyway.
“Oh, no. It's not like I…”
Reina stared at Shirone as he shyly scratched his head. At seventeen, he should have been all grown up, but he was such a pure-hearted boy.
“Hehe, you're quite cute.”
“If he's so cute, you can have him. I'd be happy if Shirone became family. Uahahaha!”
Rian's mischievous joke made Shirone's face turn as red as a ripe persimmon. Yet, the reason he wasn't offended was that he had, unknowingly, developed a liking for her.
“Oh my! You must be close enough to give your sister away.”
“What are you talking about? Sure, Shirone is like a brother to me, but I wouldn't mind giving away a witch like you to just anyone. In fact, it'd be a waste of Shirone.”
“Aha, is that so?”
Reina's body shot up into the air. Her leap, easily clearing a person's height, made Shirone's head spin.
Landing in front of Rian, Reina grabbed her brother's ear and pulled hard.
“Owowowow! It hurts! It hurts!”
“Caught you, you culprit!”
“Culprit! What are you talking about?”
“The one who played a prank with my underwear. It was you, wasn't it?”
“No! Why are you blaming an innocent person!”
“The only hot-blooded young men on the second floor are you and Shirone, and from what I've seen, Shirone is definitely not the type. So that leaves only you. Now, admit it. Why were you so interested in the underwear of the sister you loathe so much?”
Reina was once a sword master on par with Rai. As such, the strength concentrated in her fingers was immense.
Rian looked at Shirone, feeling as if he were being tempered in the fires of hell. At this point, a suicide mission was the only way out. If he was going to die anyway, wouldn't it be better for at least one of them to survive?
“Fine, I did it! I ran out of underwear, so I was going to wear it! Can't you even give your little brother a pair of panties! Aaaargh!”
As Reina mercilessly pulled his ear, the large-framed Rian was forced onto his tiptoes, unable to move.
“Do you really expect me to believe that? Confess the truth, or your ear is coming off.”
“Just kill me! I have nothing more to say!”
Shirone was on pins and needles. Regardless of who initiated it, they had done it together, so he couldn't let Rian suffer alone.
“Um, actually, it was me.”
“Shirone, no! You don't know how terrifying this witch is! Run!”
“Rian was just trying to play a prank, and it just happened. There was no ill intent. But I'm truly sorry.”
“Hmm, is that so.”
Reina narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between Shirone and Rian. Then, she chuckled and smacked Rian on the head.
“Ow!”
“You should know that Shirone just saved your life. Do it one more time, and I'll make you deaf for real.”
Rian rubbed the top of his head, grumbling incessantly. What on earth possessed this witch to come home?
“Why are you back, anyway? You already took your vacation, didn't you?”
“Hm? You haven't heard? About Rai.”
“Since when do we care about him?”
“Rai is taking the official swordsman examination this time. So I came to pick him up. He left the royal castle with grandfather, but he said he was stopping to meet a friend on the way.”
“The official exam?”
Rian's eyes wavered in shock. He acknowledged the difference in their skills. His brother was a genius, after all.
But had the gap really grown this wide?
The official certification was the dream of everyone living in the Tormia Kingdom and a benchmark that determined the hierarchy of the nobility.
The exam was held once a year, and the number of applicants reached a staggering thousand.
But among them, fewer than thirty people would obtain the certification.
For comparison, there was the unofficial certification. It was issued by institutions designated by the royal palace; in the city of Creas, for example, the prime example was the Alpheas Magic Academy.
Graduating from the magic academy made one a 10th-grade unofficial mage, and afterward, one could raise their grade by performing various achievements through associations or guilds.
The difference between official and unofficial ultimately came down to whether one received recognition from the royal castle. Thus, while there were unofficial practitioners whose skills were not inferior to the official ones, people naturally flocked to where money and honor followed, so the overall level of the officially certified was much higher.
The fact that over half of the participants in the annual official exam were holders of unofficial certifications also showed the difference.
“Hmph, must be nice. Geniuses really are different. The family gives them all the support they need.”
Reina looked at Rian with pity. Talented or not, he was her cute youngest brother. She hoped he wouldn't be hurt by this.
“I should go prepare dinner. I have to prepare the seafood myself since it was brought from the royal palace. Shirone, it was nice meeting you. Let's say hi if we see each other again.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
Shirone bowed his head, a sense of regret lingering. He was leaving the mansion tomorrow; he would never meet Reina again. But he would never forget the exhilaration of the moment he played the piano with her.
“Rian, about your sister…”
“Hm? What about her?”
“I mean… does she have a boyfriend or anything?”
Shirone regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Emotions were like wild beasts locked in an iron cage; once released, they could lead to uncontrollable consequences.
Rian, who had been blinking for a while, grinned, showing his teeth.
“Shirone, don't tell me…”
“N-no! Just forget it! I was just…”
“Puhahaha! Sis! Sis!”
As Rian bolted from the room, a blushing Shirone chased after him. As if even the time to go down the stairs was too much, Rian leaned over the railing and shouted.
“Sis! Shirone asked if you have a boyfr—!”
“Agh, just stop!”
Shirone, who had barely managed to cover Rian's mouth, grabbed him by the waist and dragged him back into the room.
“Hm? What was that? A boyfriend?”
The maids working in the kitchen looked up at the second floor. Reina, who was preparing the seafood, said with a smile in her eyes.
“It's just the kids fooling around. Alright, now it just needs to be steamed. I've removed the poison, so please cook it according to the recipe.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As the cooking began in earnest, the maids busied themselves with their work again.
But one young man, the one who oversaw all the affairs of the mansion, was frowning at the noise from a moment ago.
Head Butler Louis.
With his natural talent for calculation and meticulous personality, he had become the youngest head butler in the family's history. He wore rimless glasses that highlighted his cold impression.
“Shirone?”
The maids might have never heard the name, but it was clearly etched in his memory as the head butler. He was the contract boy Temuran had brought in for the Grand Library relocation project.
“Why with the young master…?”
For him, who had sworn to dedicate his life to the prosperity of the Ogent family, this was not a matter he could simply overlook. Something was clearly happening without his knowledge.
His eyes glinting, he called a regular butler and gave an order.
“Tell the deputy butler to come to my room at once.”
* * *
From the crack of dawn, shouts echoed through the grand training hall.
Rian trained with more intensity than usual. The news that Rai was taking the official exam had poured oil on the embers of his ambition. *I will catch up to him, no matter what.* With that thought, he repeated his slashes countless times.
Kite watched his student's vigorous sword dance with conviction.
‘He's definitely improved.’
Stamina, energy, technique. He had improved by leaps and bounds in every aspect. With this level of skill, he could probably subdue a gang of bandits near the city without much difficulty.
But in a duel against someone formally trained in swordsmanship, he still had a long, long way to go. The problem was his Schema. Rian's greatest strength, his recklessness, was now working as a disadvantage.
Rian's swordsmanship was domineering and intense. There were times when one needed to cool one's mind and grasp the essence of things, yet he only ever emphasized moving forward.
‘Everyone has their own way. A weakness like a lack of composure is nothing compared to that fiery power. It's clear he has to continue on this path. Still, what a shame.’
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
He swung a club twice as heavy as a longsword with sheer brute force. Considering the air resistance, it was enough power to wield a greatsword without issue. If only he could master Schema, Kite was already excited to see how much its efficiency would be maximized.
“Stop! Ten-minute break!”
Rian returned to Kite, panting for breath.
Kite saw the passion burning in his student's eyes. He had had the same look in his eyes one day a year ago.
Back then, it had quickly died out, but this time was different. Rai was going to the royal palace. Rian's flame would never wither again.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
A regular butler from the mansion came running, out of breath. Arriving in front of Rian, who was quenching his thirst, he spoke without even catching his breath.
“There's trouble! The young lady asks that you come to the mansion at once!”
“My sister? What's going on all of a sudden? If it's about my brother, I don't care. Tell her to handle it herself.”
“It's not that. A contract boy named Shirone is in mortal danger.”