Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Snow Duke's Way of Thinking (5)
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Estelle hadn't felt any emotions since her heart was ripped out.
This was an irreversible damage that could never be repaired, and even at the moment of her death, only the mana crystals slowly dissipating from her hollowed-out chest would remain.
However, she wasn't merely a machine reacting to stimuli—
Occasionally, faint fragments of emotion wriggled within her, akin to reconstructions from deep subconscious memories of the past.
Physiological responses born from days of laughter and tears long ago.
Or fabricated emotions reflexively shaped by her body after reading the other person's psyche.
But they were as elusive as moonlight on a stormy night, impossible to discern with the naked eye, so she had never consciously dwelled on them.
Until now.
Until this very moment.
"Yaaawn~. Did you sleep well, sis?"
Watching her little sister yawn languidly and rub her eyes, Estelle wondered if her emotions had somehow returned.
A week ago, it hadn't been this intense.
But today wasn't her first day at the library, nor was it morning, and the book by Adella's bedside wasn't a pillow.
Yet, despite all that, Estelle—the Snow Duke—was gradually sensing something off in Adella's every word and action, as if they were testing her patience.
"Sis, hot!?"
"......"
"R-Read it! Read it now! I've almost finished it!!"
Adella hurriedly untied the bookmark from the beginning of the book and flipped through the pages.
After waking her every thirty minutes and stepping out expressionlessly, Siegfried was conversing with Pharenchia's guard captain from afar.
—Sorry about that time. No need to apologize again.
—Whatever. Thanks to you, I learned my employer was a bitch.
His demeanor had softened considerably in the warmer central kingdom weather.
Roshiar's soldiers were stiff like most northerners anyway.
With no war and living apart from Estelle in a villa near the academy's lake, it was a natural outcome.
"Siegfried."
At her call, he rushed over immediately.
"Yes, what is it, family head?!"
"Our return will be delayed. Send a letter to the main house."
"Understood...... Is something wrong?"
Something wrong?
There was plenty wrong.
After dragging Adella from her carefree dormitory life to the villa, Estelle had learned things about her sister she never knew.
First, she slept over twelve hours a day, like some cat.
Even on the day the war ended, Estelle had never slept more than four hours.
And intellectually? No better than a cat.
Learn one thing, forget three.
Estelle had even checked her skull with a spear for holes, only for sleeping Adella to scream awake.
Finally, her mindset was utterly rotten.
She wanted to learn unique magic just to impress a guy.
And yet her head was already a flower field; she talked more about her lover than Estelle's stories all day.
Even subtly probing if Estelle would prepare a dowry.
Now Estelle was certain.
"Siegfried."
"Yes?"
"My blood pressure seems to be rising."
She was irritated.
"W-Well, family head, you don't have blood pressure to rise......"
Her loyal retainer just scratched his head and stared blankly.
Exactly one week later, Estelle changed her plan.
Shifting from theory to practical training.
It was right after seeing the librarians crying day and night to dry the books soaked in Adella's drool.
The lake where nobles had gone boating.
Estelle froze it entirely and lightly swung her spear left and right.
Crack-crack! With the sound of ice shattering, lattice cracks formed across the frozen surface.
Estelle pointed at the ice tile by Adella's feet from the shore.
"Step on the ice and cross to here."
"Okay."
Whoosh!
A cold spear thrust flew before Adella's fearless step.
Estelle's icy voice followed.
"Listen to the end."
"......"
"Each tile has a different thickness. I've adjusted the refractive index and gas solubility, so you can't tell visually."
"Then how do I tell them apart?"
"Feel the ice. Unless you want to fall."
Half would shatter if stepped on.
Realizing this, Adella pondered before choosing one tile ahead.
"This one?"
Crack!
"Ah."
Only Adella's hat floated where the ice broke, plunging her into the lake.
Moments later, she crawled back onto the ice, spitting water.
Then she started poking tiles with ice picks.
"Hmm...... Achoo!"
This wasn't just about distinguishing thick ice.
The key was discerning the purity of pure mana infused in the ice.
Like an animal passing body heat and feral instincts to its young—to awaken the instinctive use of unique magic.
It was also vital training for Adella, who emitted unstable cold when emotional.
But—
"This one!"
Splash!
Adella advanced by smashing tiles with her body.
Her success rate was pathetically low.
For a first try on half-thick-enough tiles, she hadn't distinguished a single one properly.
Estelle calmly watched her sister sink with gurgles.
One thought filled her mind.
Train Adella quickly and return to the front lines.
But no method worked.
She thought Adella had been play-acting dumb to fool Roshiar eyes, but this level meant no acting was needed.
"What on earth are you...... Huh?"
Then, someone appeared near the lake.
In the now-empty noble spot, a familiar man walking iron hounds.
Leash and muzzle meaningless, even carrying a Frisbee to play.
"Louis......"
Estelle gripped her spear resolutely, murmuring his name.
At the same time, Adella poked her head from the water.
"Teacher?"
"?"
The moment she spotted Louis walking on the opposite shore—
"Teaaaaaacher—!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
With astonishing speed, she dashed across the lake, past Estelle in the center, to the other side—without falling once—and leaped into Louis's arms.
—Teacher!!
—Huh? Adella!? Learning magic okay?
—Yes! I'm totally a genius! No doubt~!
—Really......? Don't overdo it. Run if sis might kill you. Oh, wanna play Frisbee?
Adella chased the disc Louis tossed into the air.
And the word "teacher" she used.
Recalling Adella's words at their first meeting, inferring they were lovers wasn't hard.
"......"
No agitation.
She couldn't even feel love, let alone date, but her top priority was Adella's growth.
Her expressionless gaze lingered on two places.
The man who defeated her, and the ice path her sister crossed chasing him, marked with footprints.
Not falling once wasn't luck.
Adella had distinguished every ice tile.
Solely driven by the will to reach Louis.
The spear in her hand melted away.
Louis was the blood-sworn enemy who first defeated her.
But time passed, and his non-hostile attitude in the magic carriage downgraded him to a watchlist.
Attacking then wouldn't serve practicality.
And from the recent scene, her evaluation shifted again—
'A catalyst to elevate Adella's stagnant skills.'
In the Snow Duke's thought circuits, her judgment of Louis was changing.
And under Roshiar's pursuit of pure utility, that influence soon manifested in action.
Feeling a cold wind from behind the academy after being in the stuffy canteen, Louis took the iron hounds for a bored walk and spotted Adella and her sister.
She said she'd make a person of her; she meant it.
Seeing soaked Adella and somehow exhausted Estelle, he could guess her efforts.
'Yeah, she hasn't come to the canteen much lately.'
Liv didn't come daily, but Adella's visits had suddenly stopped.
Probably couldn't escape Estelle's glaring surveillance.
So her joy made sense.
Though he probably wouldn't come this way anymore.
"Louis."
"What?"
The reason approached.
Estelle Sylvestra de Roshiar, the Snow Duke.
As she neared, even cold-hating iron hounds whimpered and backed away.
Perhaps a trait of Roshiar women with unique magic; Estelle exuded intense chill.
Contrasting sharply with Adella, whose body was just slightly cool.
But why call his name suddenly?
Goosebumps everywhere.
'No spear......'
He reflexively scanned her.
To prepare if she attacked.
Similar features to Adella, but sharper impression.
Long legs on a sleek tall frame, white uniform suiting her perfect figure.
......Really just checking for attack.
"Speak. Don't waste time."
Diamond-brighter blue eyes under long lashes fixed on him.
Her moist-looking lips parted, delivering a flat, dry tone.
"Don't you want to trade for Adella Sylvestra."
"......You're asking me for help? Seriously?"
"Roshiar must grow stronger. Far more than now."
Face thick as steel plate.
Hesitate not to beg the one who broke her for her goal.
Beyond absurdity, her blindness evoked slight pity, but one concern lingered.
"You'll drag her north like last time."
If Estelle's purpose remained the same.
He got her dedication to strengthening Adella, but he couldn't agree to that.
"I won't allow sending her to the battlefield."
Come at him again if she dared.
Glaring at Estelle while loosening the hounds' leashes, surprisingly, she shook her head readily.
"No immediate need. Just placing two Snow Dukes on the front doesn't boost forces."
"What does that mean?"
"Recently, the royals requested the Grand Dukes' Conference."
Grand Dukes' Conference.
He didn't know details, but in his memory, it convened only twice.
Once right before the capital fell in the great war.
Once after a small war started.
"When?"
"Not yet, just requested. But massive changes loom over Penheim."
"So Adella staying in Pharenchia is fine, but knowing unique magic is better?"
"Yes."
Estelle nodded slightly.
Far off, Adella ran with a Frisbee disc.
If that was the reason......
"Do as you like."
He accepted lightly.
As before, he couldn't help much with Adella's magic anyway.
"I'll contact you later."
Estelle dragged Adella back to the lakeside.