Ch.13Training Ground (2)

“So what you’re saying is…”

“… …”

“You threw the ball thinking my brother was a new student with no training? And you thought I’d block it since I was right next to him?”

“…Yeah.”

Nicole asked with barely contained anger, and the woman quietly answered. For reference, the woman is currently kneeling before Nicole with her head hanging low.

I’m also standing beside Nicole, looking down at the woman. Glancing around, I notice we’re at the edge of the vast training ground, so almost no one is watching us. Even when someone passes by, they just take a quick look and go about their business.

It seems they’re more focused on the people sparring in the distance rather than paying attention to us.

While I was thinking this, Nicole shouted at the kneeling woman.

“You call that an explanation?! Huh?!”

“… …”

“I told you not to pull those kinds of pranks no matter what! Do my words mean nothing to you?!”

When Nicole yelled, the kneeling woman flinched visibly. It’s quite surprising to me, as I’ve only seen Nicole’s gentle side until now.

Well, any sibling would be angry in this situation. Her precious youngest brother almost got seriously hurt.

It’s just refreshing to see her raise her voice since she’s never done it before.

“Answer me, Adelia. Am I wrong?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

The woman apologized in a voice as quiet as an ant crawling. But Nicole still wasn’t satisfied and exhaled sharply through her nose.

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to our Issac. And I’m warning you, if you pull a stunt like this again, I’ll file a formal complaint with the professors. Understand?”

“Yeah…”

“Now apologize.”

At Nicole’s command, the woman slowly raised her head. I stared at her as her face came into view.

She had neatly cut shoulder-length light brown hair, a straight nose, and impressively long eyelashes. Overall, she was a beautiful woman with a boyish aura.

While I was staring at her sky-blue eyes, she also gazed at my face and opened her mouth.

“Oh. Pretty…”

Maybe her mouth is the problem. When unnecessary words spilled from the woman’s lips, Nicole’s aura became even more intimidating. Honestly, she’d deserve a slap for that comment.

The woman also sensed Nicole’s dangerous energy and quickly bowed her head, hurriedly offering an apology.

“I’m sorry. My prank went too far. I promise I will never pull such pranks again.”

Her husky voice matched her boyish appearance quite well. It seems that flippant tone from earlier only comes out when she’s joking with Nicole.

As she bowed her head deeply in apology, I responded with a slightly bewildered feeling.

“Ah, yes. It’s fine. By the way, did you say your name was Adelia?”

“Yes. I’m Adelia Cross.”

Judging by the absence of a middle name, which is only granted to nobles, Adelia is a commoner. I was slightly surprised, as I had assumed she was a noble based on her beauty.

‘So she threw a ball at me as a prank…’

This means one of two things: either she’s close friends with Nicole despite their class difference, or she’s thoughtless. But considering she speaks informally to Nicole, I’m guessing it’s the former.

I stared at Adelia, who was visibly tense, and asked a question.

“Are you friends with my sister?”

“Um…”

Adelia was about to answer but glanced at Nicole first. Nicole still looked angry but nodded slightly to answer on her behalf.

Adelia formed an awkward smile and quietly answered.

“Yes, we’re friends. We’ve been together since we enrolled.”

“Then just speak informally to me too. You’re my sister’s friend.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

She immediately switched to informal speech. While I was inwardly dumbfounded, I nodded as Adelia asked with a bright smile.

Adelia then let out a deep sigh of relief and started speaking rapidly.

“I’m really, really, really sorry. I’ll apologize once more. I was just curious about who Nicole brought with her. I had no idea it was her brother.”

“Like I said, I’m fine. It’s already in the past, and you threw it expecting my sister to block it, right? At least it wasn’t a dagger.”

“Still, I feel bad. If I had thrown it at someone other than Nicole, I would have been expelled immediately.”

“You know better and still pull these pranks?”

When Nicole pressed her with a fierce voice, Adelia couldn’t offer a proper excuse. She just let out an embarrassed laugh and bowed her head in apology.

Nicole, seeing that Adelia seemed genuinely remorseful, sighed deeply and reluctantly forgave her.

“Sigh. Like I said before, don’t pull these pranks anymore. Once or twice might be understandable, but you do this every time I come to the training ground, and it’s starting to annoy me.”

“Sorry…”

“Sis, has she always been like this?”

“Every single time I come to the training ground.”

No wonder her reaction was so quick. It seems Adelia has quite a history of these pranks.

Nicole must have been pretty annoyed if this happened every time she came to the training ground. And today, it was her own brother who was almost in danger.

As I watched Nicole running her hand through her hair, I suddenly became curious and looked toward the entrance of the training ground. The entrance was like a long corridor, quite dark inside, where you could barely make out silhouettes when there was light.

Yet Adelia was certain Nicole was coming through that darkness. Even if a familiar silhouette was approaching, that alone wouldn’t have been enough for certainty.

“Adelia.”

“Hmm? Did you call me?”

“Can you infuse mana into your eyes?”

“Of course. Despite appearances, I’m quite skilled.”

Her answer was full of pride. Indeed, the fact that she assists my sister as an instructor already proves her skill.

If you’re wondering what the ability to infuse mana into the eyes has to do with skill, just think about how sensitive our eyes are.

Being able to infuse mana into the eyes to see clearly in darkness is proof of excellent mana control.

I know this because I consulted my father when I first wrote the Biography of Xenon. He happily explained this and various other abilities. Beyond that, I created the rest based on memories from my previous life.

I quietly observed Adelia, who seemed to have regained her energy, and asked her:

“Can you also distinguish body temperature?”

“What? How could I do that? That’s a technique only knight captains or higher can use.”

Adelia responded with an incredulous voice. My father said anyone could use it with a little effort, but that was apparently by my father’s standards.

“You’re Nicole’s younger brother, right? Let me give you some advice—don’t ever compare other people to your father. How can anyone compare to a man who changed maps with just his sword skills?”

“Is my father that impressive?”

I knew my father was an extraordinary person, but I didn’t know he was that remarkable. When I looked at Nicole with an expression asking if this was true, she shrugged and answered.

“Well, I’m not sure either. You know our dad never talks about himself, right?”

“He doesn’t. But why is that?”

“He says whenever his achievements are mentioned, he sees the faces of the knights who sacrificed themselves. You wouldn’t know this, Issac, but before you were born, he couldn’t sleep at night without alcohol.”

Based on the symptoms, he’s a typical soldier suffering from PTSD.

Moreover, my father was a knight captain, and of the Navy Knights no less, so his combat experience must have been far greater than others. I’ve heard the Navy Knights, being the Empire of Minerva’s strongest order, are assigned various missions.

Among these missions is the extermination of demonized demi-humans. Actually, demon extermination isn’t just done by the Navy Knights but by various groups, so it’s clearly a last resort.

Despite all this, the fact that he raised three children safely shows his remarkable mental strength.

“Anyway, Adelia. You’re going to prepare for sparring now, right?”

“I have to. There are many new students, so it’ll be quite busy.”

“Then as punishment, you’ll do it alone today. I’ll be showing my brother around.”

“What? Wait. Even so, that’s…”

“What?”

When Adelia immediately protested, Nicole just raised one eyebrow. In the end, Adelia, who was clearly in the wrong, had to back down.

“…Fine. But just for today, right?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Oh, please. Don’t be like that.”

“Who was it that almost gave my precious brother a blue bruise on his face?”

It seems Adelia has been caught at a disadvantage. I alternated between looking at Adelia, who was on her knees pleading, and Nicole, who stood with her arms crossed, contemplating.

Seeing this, they truly are close friends who transcend social status. While our family is generally distant from authority, Adelia’s behavior would be enough to shock others if they saw it.

As she herself said earlier, threatening a noble’s life could result in expulsion at minimum and even imprisonment.

‘How did she become friends with my sister?’

While I was wondering this, Nicole ended the situation by granting Adelia’s request.

“Now go spar. I’ll be in the stands, so explain the situation well to everyone.”

“Got it. Issac, was it?”

“Yes, I’m Issac.”

“Watch this sister spar. I’ll make you fall for me right away.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get going.”

When Nicole tossed her the training iron sword she had brought earlier, Adelia caught it lightly. As she walked toward the training ground, she waved her arm playfully.

She’s carefree and impulsive like a child, but strangely not unlikable. As I waved back to Adelia, who was getting farther away, I asked Nicole about something I was curious about.

“Sis, how did you become friends with her?”

“It just happened. She kept wandering around me since enrollment, so I talked to her, and we’ve been friends ever since. Her personality might be a bit vulg… I mean, unusual, but I can vouch for her skills. She went too far with her prank earlier, but she’s definitely not a bad person.”

“Nicole?”

While we were talking, someone called Nicole from behind. It was a man’s voice with a pleasant baritone.

Both Nicole and I turned to see who it was.

‘…Oh.’

The moment the man’s face came into view, I felt my brain freeze. It was a face all too familiar to me—one I absolutely did not want to encounter.

While I stood rigid, Nicole seemed acquainted with the man and spoke with a welcoming tone. Unlike the man who used informal speech, Nicole’s intonation was filled with respect, unlike before.

“Lord Leort? You’re early today.”

“This week was the start of the new semester. I wasn’t busy at all.”

Golden hair that shone like Rina’s and clear blue eyes. While Rina had a pure, puppy-like face, the man before us had strong, tiger-like features.

Meanwhile, the man who was conversing with Nicole shifted his gaze to me and quietly trailed off.

“And who is this…”

“This is my brother. Say hello, Issac. This is His Highness Leort, Crown Prince of the Empire of Minerva.”

Not knowing my feelings, Nicole patted my back and prompted me to greet him. I faced Leort with extreme tension.

Though I was quite flustered by this unexpected encounter, I still needed to greet him. Besides, there was no need to be so tense—Leort and I were meeting for the first time, and he had no idea I was the author of the Biography of Xenon.

This meant there was no danger of being suddenly confined to the palace.

With that thought, I greeted Leort based on the etiquette I learned at home. Right now, avoiding any suspicion was crucial.

“Hello. I am Issac Ducar Mayshall. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Leort.”

“Ah. So you’re Nicole’s brother. I thought you looked similar. Nice to meet you. I am Leort Urmi Jeckyless, the rightful heir of Minerva. By the way, Issac?”

“Yes.”

“Ho.”

Why? Why are you making such an exclamation? It’s making me nervous.

While I was inwardly muttering with anxiety, Leort asked me with a very pleased expression.

“So you’re the student Rina mentioned?”

…Fuck. My life.