Ch.149Unexpected (1)

# Weekend as always, I have a dinner appointment with my older sister, Nicole. Somehow, we ended up agreeing to have meals every weekend, and since it’s not bad, I visit her weekly.

And Nicole will soon graduate from the academy and be assigned to a knighthood, so I need to see her often. Though it’s not confirmed yet, I expect she’ll be assigned to a good place like Dave.

On the other hand, Adelia is… given her status, it’s a bit ambiguous. It’s impossible to predict whether she’ll return to her kingdom immediately after graduation or be assigned to a knighthood.

Returning to the Kingdom of Teres means facing a terrible home environment, and if she’s assigned to a knighthood, it would essentially be betraying her homeland.

Due to her characteristically bright personality, she doesn’t show it, but as graduation season approaches, Adelia’s heart will become more complicated.

“So you still don’t know where you’ll be assigned?”

“No. Dave was scouted early by the Navy Knights, but I still don’t know. I’d like to follow Father into the Navy Knights, but it’s not easy. I heard Dave was a special case, and they conduct internal tests. I’ll probably have to do the same.”

After finishing our sparring at the training ground, we’re at a restaurant we frequently visit.

I asked Nicole, sitting across from me, about her plans after graduation. Nicole answered casually, but her slightly furrowed brow revealed her nervousness.

“I’m sure you can join, sister. I heard only those with exceptional skills and grades can become martial arts instructors?”

My fiancée, Marie, sitting beside me, encouraged Nicole while elegantly cutting her steak. Her face was radiant, and her skin looked much healthier than yesterday.

As I mentioned yesterday, we’ve been together since last night until now. Currently, we’re joining Nicole for dinner and having a pleasant conversation.

By the way, Adelia tactfully declined to join. Something about not wanting to intrude on family conversations. Nicole said it was fine and she could join, but Adelia firmly refused.

Instead, before parting, she gave me an envious look that lingered in my mind. It wasn’t like she was putting up walls, but rather seemed to lack the courage to take a step forward.

As I’ve mentioned before, while Adelia has clearly become closer recently, she sometimes tends to hesitate.

“That may be true, but real combat is different. And I’ve heard about the entry requirements for the Navy Knights—they’re intimidating just to hear about.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about that too. They say you can’t even sleep properly for a month while training, right?”

“Exactly. But that’s not all. Not only can you barely sleep for a month, but you also have to be self-sufficient for food. And the instructors attack at random times. If you’re not careful, you could actually die, so you have to struggle to endure.”

Is this truly something that people—no, humans—can do? The answer is yes. If you’re a human born and raised in this world.

Until now, I’ve lamented that humans are the weakest, but that’s by this world’s standards. Compared to my previous life, they’re plenty monstrous. In a world where humans without mana can fight and defeat elephant-sized monsters, nothing is impossible.

Even I, with just basic knight training and close to being an ordinary person, can easily lift a 100kg wheat sack. Nicole could probably lift it with one hand and play baseball with it.

Still, the entry test Nicole mentioned is harsh even by this world’s standards. There’s a reason the Navy Knights are responsible for border regions.

“By the way, what’s Dave doing these days? Any news about him coming home on leave?”

“I heard he’ll come home on leave after getting rid of his apprentice tag? It’ll probably take a few months.”

It varies by knighthood, but to be promoted from apprentice knight to junior knight, one must serve for a year. During that year, they determine whether military life suits you and decide on promotion.

So our poor brother, Dave, is essentially a private for an entire year. Since the military has always had its absurdities throughout history, he’s probably having a tough time.

‘The letter he sent last time was really something.’

About two weeks ago, I still remember the contents of Dave’s letter. He wrote that he volunteered to carry the heaviest rations for a march, only to be thoroughly scolded.

The remarkable reason was that rations would naturally decrease and become lighter over time. The point was that they never ate the rations and completed the march in just three hours.

Seeing that, I realized that the military is indeed the military.

“By the way, Adelia, was it? Where did that sister go?”

“Uh…”

Marie, who had been chewing her steak, swallowed and asked about Adelia’s whereabouts. While Adelia might find Marie intimidating, Marie thinks well of her cheerful nature.

The fact that she calls her “sister” despite being a commoner shows this. The funny thing is that Adelia actually feels awkward about it.

Nicole didn’t answer the question immediately and glanced at me.

Does Nicole know that Adelia is an illegitimate child, specifically of the Teres royal family? Or is she being cautious because of Adelia’s peculiar behavior?

Either way, Nicole seems unable to answer easily.

“Well… I don’t know much about Adelia either. She’s the kind of person whose thoughts are hard to read, so I don’t know if she’s made plans or just goes with the flow. But her skills are similar to mine, so she’ll adapt well wherever she goes.”

“I see. But she’s a commoner, right?”

“Why do you ask?”

“From her usual behavior, she’s clearly a commoner, but her appearance and manners seem noble.”

As Marie said, Adelia reveals herself as a commoner through her frivolous and light behavior. However, her dining etiquette and occasional actions show a noble’s dignity.

Honestly, if she just kept her mouth shut, she’s beautiful enough to be mistaken for a noble. Moreover, her sky-blue eyes, reminiscent of a clear sky, add to her mystique.

Marie hasn’t faced Adelia much, but she has an instinctive ability to see through others’ true intentions. So she probably knows that Adelia’s status is not ordinary.

“Well… I’ll say she is. But please don’t ask any more.”

“Understood.”

After Nicole’s ambiguous answer and firm request, Marie coolly accepted it. She probably judged that there was no need to interfere since she’s not close to Adelia anyway.

As Marie modestly cut her steak, Nicole looked at her with a complex expression. I could notice worry and concern in Nicole’s golden eyes.

What kind of worry makes Nicole make such an expression? I hope it’s not a major concern.

“Anyway, so you’ll graduate this year and take the Navy Knights entry test?”

“Hm? Ah, yes. I’ll take the test once before graduation. Since the Navy Knights manage border regions, even apprentices are often immediately deployed on missions. So it’s a bit of a different case.”

“Then we don’t have much time left to see each other?”

I asked with a lot of regret. Like Dave, I don’t have much time left to see Nicole.

Nicole smiled warmly at my question and said reassuringly:

“You’re an adult now. I’ve been an adult for a while too. Not being able to meet often is natural, so don’t feel too sad.”

“But it’s still sad. Dave left suddenly too. You won’t do that, right?”

“Of course not. I’ll leave for the entry test exactly one month from now. We can meet one last time then.”

“You’ve been at the academy for five years, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have any fun experiences during your academy life?”

As a martial arts instructor, Nicole had to stay at the academy longer than others. So she must have enjoyed various events and activities.

Although Nicole is a true martial artist who dedicates herself to training every day, she’s still human and must feel stress. She must have enjoyed various activities to relieve that stress.

Moreover, I heard from Adelia that Nicole is extremely popular among martial arts students. Honestly, even as her brother, I can see she has beautiful looks and strong martial prowess.

She fulfills men’s fantasies perfectly, so it’s impossible for her not to be popular. I’m absolutely certain.

“I was curious about that too. Perfect timing. Sister, didn’t you ever date anyone?”

“Uh, what? D-date?”

Nicole was visibly flustered. Her eyes widened, showing her embarrassment.

And seeing her flustered, Marie didn’t stop but dug deeper.

“You’re so pretty, it doesn’t make sense that you don’t have a boyfriend. Even if you don’t, you must have received confessions, right?”

“N-no. I’ve never received confessions. Really.”

Nicole blushed and waved her hands dismissively. Even without Marie’s intuition, it was obvious she was lying.

Marie, thinking she had caught something, smiled mischievously and pressed further.

“That’s a lie. Who confessed to you? We’re family now, so it’s okay to tell us, right? No one else will hear.”

“It’s… really true…”

“Do you think such a lie would work on me? Just tell us about one confession, at least.”

“I’m curious too. You’ve hardly ever talked about personal stuff, sis.”

“No. Why are you two, who are about to get engaged, so curious about someone else’s personal life?”

Nicole asked incredulously.

“Well, other people’s stories are more interesting. We already have our own story, don’t we?”

“Huh. Really…”

Nicole sighed deeply at Marie’s clear answer, then shook her head after contemplating for a while.

Unfortunately, it was a negative response.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have received confessions, but it’s not a pleasant story.”

“Not pleasant?”

“I received confessions from four people. Simultaneously.”

“Wow…”

Marie and I couldn’t help but exclaim. Nicole is far from a liar, so the fact that she received simultaneous confessions from four people is likely true.

Just hearing about it suggests there’s an unusual story behind it. This could be material for a whole romance novel.

Nicole seemed to recall the incident, and with blushing cheeks, she muttered softly:

“Grown men… nothing is more unsightly than fighting over a woman. It was so annoying that I told them I’d date whoever could beat me in a duel. But even with all four attacking together, they lost. At the very least, shouldn’t they be stronger than me?”

“Ah, so sister’s preference is men stronger than her?”

“W-what? N-no! That’s not what I meant! Just that a man should be strong enough to protect a woman!”

Nicole, having unintentionally revealed her preference, shouted frantically in defense. This reaction was far from her usual strict demeanor, indicating how flustered she was.

I looked at the flustered Nicole with fresh eyes and joined in Marie’s teasing.

“Sis, I’m very weak.”

“You… Listen, Mr. Xenon author? One word from you can shake the world, and you say you’re weak? Nonsense should have limits. I said strength, not power.”

“Then what about my brother? He’s from a duke’s family and will receive a duke’s title in the future.”

“Enough. Stop it. I’ll have to half-give up on marriage once I join the knighthood, so what’s the point of dating? Your love story is enough. Are you practicing contraception diligently?”

Nicole tried to change the subject, but it seemed best to stop the teasing here. I had a feeling that if we continued, Nicole might die of embarrassment.

“Of course, regularly. We have plenty of medicine left, so no problem.”

“Good. Make sure there are no ‘accidents’ like our parents.”

“From what I saw, it didn’t seem like an accident but intentional.”

“Well… honestly, that’s true. They wouldn’t have given you all the contraceptive medicine.”

Nicole nodded in agreement with my words, then suddenly remembered something and asked me:

“By the way, Issac, when will volume 13 be released?”

“Volume 13? I’ll send it to the publisher in about three days. Why do you ask?”

“You mentioned before that Alfheim is censoring it. Did you really write about Alfheim being invaded?”

“Of course I did. I can’t change the story just because a country is censoring it.”

I don’t care if Alfheim censors it. It’s not me who will suffer, but that country.

As for income, I’ve already earned more than enough, and Leort and Rina are helping a bit. We’re gradually moving the earnings that were sitting at the publisher to the mansion.

‘Come to think of it, elves visited the publishing house.’

I already heard through Father’s letter that elves had visited the publishing house. The elves said they needed to check something and asked for the letters I, or rather Xenon, had sent so far.

Fortunately, the president handled it well, and the elves withdrew. But Father didn’t know why elves from Alfheim, especially from a noble house, had visited.

Though it’s just speculation, it might be due to Arwen’s mistake in processing the speech document late. I’ve sent word through Cyris, so I should hear back soon.

“I’m just a bit worried. Usually, when authors’ novels get censored, their confidence drops significantly. Aren’t you affected?”

“Not really? The Biography of Xenon is read more by humans than elves anyway, and I write it as a hobby. If they censor it, they’re the ones who lose.”

“Right, right. Sometimes elves can be more foolish. Trying to censor beautiful culture, there’s bound to be backlash, right? The Queen wouldn’t do such a thing, so it must be the Senate or noble houses acting on their own.”

Marie chimed in supportively from the side. As expected of a duke’s daughter, she seemed knowledgeable about other countries’ political situations.

Nicole seemed relieved that I wasn’t too concerned, but still couldn’t shake her worry and asked cautiously:

“Still, just in case, don’t write too explicitly negative things. Every sentence you write has a huge impact on the world. You know that well by now, right?”

“Of course I do.”

To this, I continued as if it was no big deal:

“I don’t even feel much about it anymore.”

*****

A few days later.

[Shocking! The roots of the World Tree, Alfheim’s pride and symbol, were actually being contaminated!]

[Not a demon’s scheme as in the novel, but the effects of the Demon War 3,000 years ago continuing until now. The contamination level of the roots is currently 26%, mild but accelerating, and could be fully contaminated in the near future.]

[All clerics of Alfheim united to attempt purification. Fortunately, the contamination wasn’t severe, so it was immediately healed.]

[Could the Biography of Xenon have predicted this too?]

“… …”

Is this for real?