Ch.163163. The Marquisate’s Troublemaker (2)

After the series of events concluded, Sione and I returned to the carriage.

Friel Arielt said she would come to the carriage shortly, as she needed to tidy herself up after the battle.

Meanwhile, we could remove our weapons and wait for her arrival.

‘Allen Kallia.’

I had caught glimpses about him in Friel’s muttering before the battle.

What had she said again?

Certainly—

‘…she called him a rutting male who throws around flirtations, didn’t she?’

A direct, unfiltered assessment of Allen Kallia.

Beyond her explicit word choice, her muttering was deeply infused with contempt.

I’m curious what kind of impression this second son of the Marquisate had made on the elf.

Well, Eunice Kallia had mentioned it too.

She said her younger brother called himself a knight while indulging in pleasures with female knights.

Setting aside the elf’s inscrutable inner thoughts, the Kallias’ beauty is renowned across the continent.

How could Allen Kallia, a man lost in female charms, possibly leave an elf alone?

‘Hmm…’

Judging by Friel’s disgust, it seems he must have put considerable effort into his advances.

I wonder if he’d shed tears of blood if he knew how Friel Arielt evaluated and cursed him behind his back, rendering all his efforts futile.

As I was thinking this while removing my quiver and sword and taking a seat—

Flap flap!

A cotton puff flew over and landed on my shoulder.

Perhaps continuously using spirit magic that I rarely use, at Sione’s request, had been quite taxing.

—Kyung…

The cotton puff collapsed, going limp on my shoulder.

I casually stroked it with my index finger and spoke to Sione.

“How did you find working with spirit magic?”

“How did I find it… well, it’s fascinating, and more difficult than I expected. The concept of bending an arrow’s trajectory with my will is so foreign.”

“Well, it’s your first time. With practice, you’ll eventually get the hang of it.”

“Hmm.”

Sione looked down at her bow and arrows placed in the corner of the carriage, then came and sat beside me. She sat closer than I expected, with the sleeves of my left shoulder and her right shoulder almost touching, occasionally brushing against each other.

Like when she first held a bow and hit a target, she seemed absorbed in some new sensation.

She was staring at her small, delicate hands with calluses between the finger joints from drawing bowstrings, spreading them wide open.

I casually patted the back of her head as if to say “good job” and asked:

“So, have you made your decision?”

Sione, who had been enjoying my touch with her eyes closed, purring like a cat, tilted her head in confusion at my question.

“Decision? What decision?”

“How many cookies you’ll share with this little one as payment for the spirit magic.”

“Ah…”

—Myung!

Sione sighed at my words, and the cotton puff’s eyes began to sparkle.

“…Do I really have to be like a moth…”

Ziii—

The cotton puff glared at Sione with tremendous intensity.

Once again, Sione yielded to the small spirit’s pressure and fell silent before continuing.

“Do I really have to share my cookies with it?”

—Kyung!

The spirit gradually began flapping its wings.

As it hovered with a posture suggesting it might lunge at Sione’s face at any moment, she waved her hands at the spirit.

“No, I’m not saying I won’t give any.”

—Myung?

“I mean, there’s no need for me to share mine… Ray, you could just give it one more, right?”

—…!

Both Sione and the spirit focused their attention on me.

Honestly, we could each give one and be done with it, but there’s nothing more entertaining in this boring carriage ride than watching these two bicker.

If I were to give such a straightforward answer, I’d clearly face concentrated fire from both of them, so I kept my mouth shut for a moment to gather my thoughts.

After a brief pause, just as I was about to speak under their intense scrutiny—

“My lady, are you in there?”

Friel Arielt had arrived at the carriage.

I rolled my eyes to indicate Friel’s arrival, and Sione let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll hear your answer later.”

—Myung.

Sione got up to greet Friel, casting a lingering glance as if looking forward to later.

“Yes, please come in.”

“Then excuse me.”

Friel entered the carriage.

Whether she had changed clothes or used magic, she was wearing the same design but a much cleaner, loose-fitting formal dress than before.

Her previously disheveled long golden hair was now neatly arranged in a half-up style, tied with a ribbon.

It seemed she had taken some time to come to our carriage, having properly groomed herself and reduced the blood scent that had been emanating from her.

“Please sit here.”

Following Sione’s guidance, Friel sat across from us.

“I’m sorry for being late; I needed to fix my clothes and hair. My lady, and Ray, thank you for waiting.”

“We were just removing our weapons, so your timing is perfect.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s fortunate.”

After saying this, Friel turned to the spirit that had just fluttered back onto my shoulder.

Elves are kind to spirits, if not to other races.

“Oh, hello there, little spirit.”

—Myung.

When she flashed a sincere smile without a trace of negative emotion, the cotton puff raised its tiny leg in greeting.

After this brief exchange of greetings.

As if important matters were about to be discussed.

Despite her fresh smile, the elf adopted a characteristically elven posture—dignified at best, detached at worst—naturally creating a somewhat heavy atmosphere.

Once the mood was set for discussing the Marquisate, Friel Arielt spoke first.

“Before we begin our conversation, let me ask a question first.”

Friel began stroking her red lips with her thumb and index finger.

“How much do you know about the Marquisate of Kallia, my lady?”

“About the Marquisate of Kallia… what aspect are you referring to?”

“The aging head of the family, the flow of power gradually shifting from him to his children, and the legitimate Kallia bloodlines born in this generation. How much do you know about these matters, Lady Sione?”

“Umm…”

Sione couldn’t readily answer Friel Arielt’s question.

That was natural.

She had lived in isolation for years, cutting off all external connections, closing her eyes and ears to the outside world.

She had lived in the world of novels rather than attending balls frequented by numerous nobles. Her only friends who could tell her stories were characters from fictional worlds.

Sione, who barely conversed even with her family.

It had been only a year since she began to see the outside light. During that time, she had devoted more energy to holding and shooting a bow than to reading political and kingdom trends.

Moreover, she had little interest in the distant Marquisate that stood opposite to her County.

“I know that Lady Eunice Kallia, the eldest daughter of the Marquisate of Kallia, is struggling against the Empire’s ambitions. Thanks to her outstanding achievements, she is currently considered the most promising next head of the family.”

Eunice Kallia, who had attended the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony, was rumored throughout the kingdom as a knight skilled with both sword and shield.

Sione knew only the most basic achievements of Eunice, the most famous Kallia of this generation.

“That’s all I know about the children of the Marquisate of Kallia.”

“Then you haven’t heard anything about the second son of the Marquisate?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything about the second son.”

“Hmm… then Ray, have you heard anything, Sir Knight?”

“Me?”

A sudden question.

From the front, I could feel the intense gazes of Sione and the cotton puff from beside Friel.

Yes, I do know something, but not in great detail.

Rather than pretending to know more than I do, I thought it better to keep quiet and listen to everything from the beginning along with Sione. I gently shook my head.

“I also… don’t know much about the second son of the Marquisate.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Friel nodded in understanding at my words.

However, Sione quietly studied my profile for a moment before shifting her gaze away.

“Then I should introduce the second son from the beginning.”

Friel’s pupils gleamed coldly.

“The second son of the Marquisate, Allen Kallia. Along with his elder sister Eunice Kallia, he was tasked by the family head with guarding the border and watching for Imperial forces.”

“The eldest daughter Eunice Kallia was given control of the Second Army of the Marquisate’s knights, while the second son received the Third Army, which had less experienced soldiers.”

“The First Army remained under the family head’s control, available for both siblings to draw from as needed. The two began to expand their authority based on the Second and Third Armies, competing to determine who would become the next head of the family.”

Sione, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“Then wouldn’t the second son be at a disadvantage?”

“Yes, that’s right. In fact, the eldest daughter initially overwhelmed the second son.”

Friel gently placed both hands on her knees.

“That was until the second son began seducing the captain of the First Army and the female knights of the Second Army with his body, and actively stealing Eunice Kallia’s achievements.”

“Excuse me…?”

“I hear the second son is known within the Marquisate as the knight of pleasure.”

Whether Sione showed signs of bewilderment or not.

The elf simply continued speaking.

“The second son, Allen Kallia, has snake-like qualities and is full of lust. Despite being a nobleman, he particularly enjoys bedding beautiful women, much like rough mercenary women. He readily throws flirtations at any woman who catches his eye.”

“Are you saying…”

“You are sufficiently beautiful, my lady. He might set his eyes on you and approach you.”

“Surely… the second son of the Marquisate wouldn’t…”

Friel merely smiled faintly.

“His lust allowed him to take the captain of the First Army, who had been more cold-headed than anyone else, into his faction, and he also stole the loyalty of outstanding knights from the Second Army, further solidifying his position.”

“Then what would happen if he were to gain the favor and affection of the second daughter of the County of Sianella, creating an opportunity to improve the strained relationship between the County and the Marquisate? He has also approached me, Elisa, and other children.”

“My lady—”

Friel’s gaze deepened.

Sione could only stare into her eyes as if entranced.

“You must never fall for his honeyed words. I am a child of the Great Forest, not a citizen of the Kingdom of Aicilia. It may be impolite for an outsider like me to evaluate and inform you like this, but…”

The air in the carriage grew unbearably heavy.

“The second son, Allen Kallia, has something ominous about him, so it would be better to approach him with caution rather than goodwill.”

Friel Arielt’s penetrating gaze.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Sione Sianella took the elf’s advice deeply to heart.