Chapter 231: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (24)
Chapter 231: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (24)
I picked up the glasses and headed toward the reception room.
There sat a female knight, her blue hair neatly arranged. Even in the middle of the night, her beauty shone brilliantly now that she had removed her jet-black hood.
It was as if a gemstone, finally cleared of dust, was flaunting its luster.
Of course, her appearance—resembling a solitary, elegant flower—wasn't her only source of pride.
She was a member of the Empire’s prestigious Imperial Guard and a scion of the Lupemion family, one of the Five Great Noble Families.
Irene Lupemion.
She was also the very person Cien, the Fifth Princess of the Empire, had been desperately searching for.
I had forgotten about her for a while, but I never expected to run into her here at the Percus mansion.
Even though the Princess had given me a hint, this visit was entirely unforeseen.
There was no way anyone else could have guessed it either.
That was why Sir Irene’s appearance was bound to cause an absolute uproar.
A mysterious swordsman had appeared out of nowhere, flaunted incredible skill, and then proceeded to kneel before the guest of honor.
Ned was cheering so hard he looked like he might choke on his own tears. Ria remained speechless, looking utterly dazed until the very end.
She simply alternated her gaze between Sir Irene and me with eyes full of disbelief.
That was just how much weight Sir Irene’s affiliation carried.
The Saintess, Senior Elsie, or even Seria—their presence could be explained away by the unique environment of the Academy. After all, the Academy was a place where one often heard touching stories of friendship between nobles and commoners.
But Sir Irene was different.
She had already graduated and held an official title. For such a powerhouse to unhesitatingly call a younger man "Master" was unheard of.
Common sense dictated it was impossible.
Furthermore, the fact that someone of her obvious, extraordinary caliber used such a respectful title meant only one thing:
It meant I was a warrior who stood a level above Sir Irene.
Ria stammered for a moment before finally squeezing out a single question.
"…A-Are you an 'Expert'?"
The subject of the sentence was omitted.
I couldn't tell who she was referring to—me or Sir Irene.
Not that the answer would have changed either way.
However, concerned about the shock Ria might receive, I simply said, "Let's talk later."
And so, I ended up in a private meeting with Sir Irene.
Many people had questions.
Why did Sir Irene call me "Master"? Why had she come to the Percus mansion instead of staying with her liege? What was the mysterious swordsmanship she had displayed upon her arrival?
I was one of those people harboring such questions.
Despite the barrage of suspicious glares, I had to insist on speaking with her alone.
To begin with, I didn't have any proper answers to give.
Sir Irene’s attitude toward me had changed far too much. It was clear that the cause was my "future self."
Therefore, I needed to grasp the situation, even if only roughly.
My future self never did anything without a reason.
Sir Irene seemed somewhat embarrassed, her face tinged with a slight blush.
She cleared her throat to break the tension and silently picked up a glass.
The bottle tilted.
The aroma of the alcohol spread as the liquid trickled out. It was then that Sir Irene finally spoke.
"I… I apologize for the intrusion. So many bleak things have happened lately that I…"
She trailed off, but I understood what she meant.
Having found hope in a sad and desperate situation, she must have overreacted. I had heard that Sir Irene had been wandering in despair for a long time.
That made me even more curious.
The techniques Sir Irene displayed were clearly passed down by my future self. Based on those, she must have seen a glimmer of hope to overcome those long, dark years.
The only problem was why he had shown that hope to Sir Irene, of all people.
Though my future self gave all sorts of advice, he rarely taught actual techniques. Part of that was because I had grown strong on my own using the man's memories.
But the techniques Sir Irene had learned were on a different level.
They possessed a profound mystery that couldn't be mastered through intuition or instinct alone.
It must have involved a teaching process significant enough for her to call me "Master."
The knight carefully poured me a drink.
Our glasses clinked in the air, and the liquid fire flowed down my throat.
I decided to start with a polite welcome.
"…First of all, welcome to the Percus mansion."
"O-Oh, no! I was just following Master's instructions…!"
Scratching her cheek bashfully, Sir Irene showed a remarkably submissive attitude.
I was genuinely curious about what on earth had happened while I was unconscious.
However, I suppressed the questions rising in my throat and led the conversation naturally.
"Your swordsmanship has improved significantly."
"I am an escort knight, after all."
Her answer was immediate, as if she were stating a simple fact.
In fact, I could sense a newfound pride in her voice.
"I did my best so that I could stand by Her Highness the Princess's side once more. I didn't want to repeat the same mistakes when I returned."
I remained silent, as I hadn't yet grasped the clear chain of cause and effect.
I simply tilted my glass.
Sir Irene seemed to take my silence in a slightly different way.
After cautiously watching my expression, she spoke in a demure tone.
"…Of course, this is all thanks to Master's grace. As I mentioned before, I hope you will give me a chance to repay you."
"Repay me?"
"Yes, anything! I will do my absolute best to repay you, Master, in every way possible."
I felt rather perplexed.
The truth was, I didn't even know what I had done for her. For her to suddenly want to repay me left me with no clue.
From our brief conversation, I could deduce the following:
Sir Irene had studied swordsmanship under my future self.
And as she said from the start, my future self had sent her to the Percus mansion. There had to be a reason for that.
What I was currently curious about was the latter.
I eventually had to clear my throat to get her attention.
"I only helped as much as I could. I don't wish to be repaid for something I did with a light heart."
"That cannot be!"
Despite my humble words, Sir Irene’s attitude was incredibly firm.
She emphasized her opinion with conviction.
"Of course, I was flustered at first. When you suddenly started kicking me, I didn't know what was going to happen, but…"
"…I suddenly started kicking you?"
There was a point in Sir Irene’s testimony that immediately gave me pause.
When I reflexively questioned her, she tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
If anything, it was nothing but problems.
A person who suddenly starts kicking someone can't be normal.
However, Sir Irene’s voice held not a shred of doubt, so I couldn't press her further.
A faint sigh escaped my lips.
It was a sign of surrender.
"…No, it's nothing. Please, continue."
Only then did Sir Irene nod and begin a long speech of gratitude.
"Anyway, including those kicks, I owe you so much, Master. It was an opportunity to pull myself together when I was on the verge of breaking. To think you even taught me the secrets of the Sword Circle…"
I carefully filed away the information spilling from Sir Irene’s mouth.
Perhaps because the alcohol was strong, she spoke without restraint after only a couple of drinks. It was as if she intended to pour out every memory of that day.
Of course, I wondered if I could even last that long as the alcohol began to affect me as well.
"…I am grateful for that alone, but thank you for calling me all the way to the Percus mansion. I did my best to show you my progress, Master."
"Is that all?"
At my short question, Sir Irene’s eyes turned toward me.
Her story was brief and omitted many details. Even if I couldn't dig into the specifics right now, I suspected there was more to it.
The reason Sir Irene had to come to the Percus mansion.
I asked more bluntly.
"Wasn't there a more important hint? A reason why you had to come here…?"
"Ah."
A soft exclamation escaped Sir Irene’s lips.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. Fidgeting, she began to apologize profusely.
She stood up, looking as if she were about to slam her head onto the floor in a deep bow.
"T-That's right… I'm sorry, Master. I'll fix this immediately…!"
"No, no! It's fine!"
I’d had enough of older women bowing their heads to me with Senior Delphine.
I hurriedly stopped Sir Irene and forced a smile.
"I'm just glad you remembered now."
"Yes, yes… I remember now."
Sir Irene muttered as she hesitantly regained her posture.
Unable to resist my gesture, she collapsed back into her chair.
With a flushed face, she downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and testified.
"…You told me not to take my eyes off your younger sister."
That Ria might be in danger.
The hand tilting my glass froze instantly.
*
"Kyaaa!"
As I swung the door to the reception room open, a sharp scream rang out.
It was my younger sister, Ria.
With her black hair and golden eyes, she was incredibly beautiful—so lovely it was hard to believe she was my sister.
It seemed she had been pressing her ear to the door, trying to eavesdrop on my conversation with Sir Irene.
Of course, Ria wasn't the only one.
From my father to Ned and several other people from our hometown, a whole group had been leaning in close outside the room. As soon as they heard Ria’s scream, they all started pretending to be busy with something else.
I could only swallow a dry laugh.
"…What is everyone doing?"
"Oh, well… we were just wondering why the guest of honor hadn't come out yet," my father said, pointedly avoiding my gaze.
It was a blatant lie, but I didn't press them further.
I simply gave a bitter smile and waved them off.
"Well, it's over now, so let's head back. And by the way, Sir Irene will be staying at the Percus mansion for a while."
My father’s eyes turned subtle at my words.
The more guests a noble had, the more their prestige was solidified. However, beyond that, nobles often found it difficult to host guests.
It was only natural.
Someone who wasn't family was now living in his house. Even as the head of the family, it was normal to feel a bit self-conscious.
Furthermore, the new guest was a daughter of the Lupemion family.
To my father, who had little interest in noble authority, this was like a bolt from the blue.
I understood how he felt, but I had no choice but to play the unfilial son.
Sir Irene was someone I needed.
In the end, the people gathered in front of the reception room couldn't withstand my urging. They reluctantly dispersed one by one, though their eyes still sparkled with curiosity about Sir Irene.
They really were a meddlesome bunch.
However, there was one person who didn't leave my side until the very end.
"…Ahem, hmmm!"
A black-haired beauty was clearing her throat, trying to get my attention.
My younger sister.
She brushed back her side hair, trying to act aloof. Not that it could hide the blush on her cheeks.
I asked, feeling exasperated, "Why haven't you left yet?"
"W-Well, as the one in charge of hospitality at the Percus mansion, I'm just fulfilling my role! The treatment changes depending on who the person is and what their relationship is with you, Brother!"
Pointing her index finger up, she looked quite confident for a moment.
But I knew.
Seeing how she kept her eyes closed and avoided my gaze, her sense of shame hadn't fully faded yet.
I suppose it was a bit unsightly for a girl who was about to become an adult to be caught eavesdropping on her brother's conversation.
That was just how much my sister liked me.
And I cherished her just as much.
So, for a while, I couldn't say anything.
I felt a tightening sensation in my chest.
If my sister ever ended up in danger, it would almost certainly be because of me. I had made far too many enemies within the Dark Cult.
When I didn't respond, my sister continued to ramble out excuses.
"A-And she's from the Lupemion family, right? If I listen in, there might be information useful for business… and, and…"
"Ria."
At my low call, Ria squeezed her eyelids shut even tighter.
"A-Aaaah! Fine! I get it! I was wrong! Yeah, my coming-of-age ceremony is next year! And it's pathetic for a sister to still be obsessed with her brother? B-But it's your fault too, Brother! Why are you with other women all day instead of me…!"
Before she could say another word, I silently placed my hand on her shoulder.
Thud. My hand gripped her shoulder firmly. Startled, Ria could only stare at me with wide, round eyes.
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
"…Don't worry. I'll make sure you, at least, never get hurt."
Ria’s lips parted and closed.
She repeated this several times, but no words escaped. She seemed unable to grasp my meaning behind such sudden words.
That was enough.
I started walking again. The intoxication heated my brain like a fever.
There was one more piece of information Sir Irene had passed on.
"…And did you say to patrol the slums on the outskirts?"
Since this was a small rural estate, there wasn't a proper slum. They just called the shabby village on the outskirts by that name.
I decided to head there first thing tomorrow.
*
And that night.
"I-Iaaan…"
A pair of light pink eyes, brimming with tears, looked up at me from my arms.
"A-Are you tired of me?!"
A faint scent of alcohol wafted from her sweet voice.
I rubbed my face with my hand.
This woman was drunk.
And she was in someone else's bedroom, no less.