Ch.4444. The Glory of Sianella (2)

I momentarily doubted my own eyes.

Sione was supposed to come, so why was Siabel here instead?

It was already strange enough that Siabel had personally come to Sione’s room to see me.

But what caught my attention even more was Siabel’s attire.

Unlike the practical clothes I’d grown sick of seeing at the training grounds and in the Beltrin Mountains, Siabel looked remarkably beautiful in formal attire adorned with pretty embroidery.

Perhaps genes really don’t lie.

It reminded me of when I first met Ainel.

‘Ainel looked exactly like that.’

When I first saw Ainel behind those cold iron bars, she was wearing just such formal attire.

And as for her face, like mother like daughter—there wasn’t much difference except that Siabel seemed a bit more gentle than Ainel.

Unlike Ainel, who always maintained an expressionless face like someone without emotions, Siabel knew how to smile properly.

The atmosphere around Siabel was also a bit more gentle.

What was certain was that the current Siabel looked like someone who would be warmly welcomed not as a knight on training grounds or battlefields, but as a noble lady at a tea party.

Perhaps because I had been staring silently for a while,

Siabel shrugged her shoulders.

“Are you disappointed that it’s not Sione?”

I must have been too obviously staring at her in silence.

Siabel, whose initial greeting had been ignored, spoke in a prim voice.

Since there was nothing to gain from earning a noble’s displeasure, I hurried to explain myself.

“No, it’s just that…”

“Just that?”

“The attire you’re wearing suits you so well that I was momentarily distracted. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Ohh.”

She seemed quite pleased with my answer.

With her arms crossed as usual, she smiled deeply.

“Bronte also made a fuss about how well the formal attire I haven’t worn in a long time suits me.”

At her words, I couldn’t help but imagine Bronte making a fuss with his deep voice turning nasal.

…It wasn’t exactly a pleasant image, so I quickly stopped imagining Bronte.

I suppose I’m not the type to enjoy seeing a macho man acting cute.

“So—”

Siabel sent me an expectant look.

The way she tilted her head slightly and looked down at me seemed very aristocratic.

“In what way?”

“…Pardon?”

“You said it suits me well.”

I was confused by her seemingly random question.

Apparently, she wanted a more precise explanation than simply saying it suited her well.

I put into words what I had just felt, as she wished.

“I felt that you looked more like a beautiful and modest noble lady than the excellent knight I usually see.”

“A beautiful and modest noble lady—”

Siabel chuckled softly.

Judging by how the atmosphere brightened when I said she was beautiful and modest, it seems that was indeed the kind of compliment she was hoping for.

Siabel moved closer to me.

I asked her something I was curious about.

“May I ask how long it’s been since I collapsed?”

“Only a day has passed, so don’t worry. I just returned to the estate and finished reporting to my mother.”

I noticed her gaze shift toward my left arm as she looked down at me from right beside the bed.

“So how’s your arm? One priest gathered all the Divine Power she could muster to heal your wound.”

“…It doesn’t hurt and there’s no wound left. Everything is perfect except that I can’t put much strength into it.”

I tried to lift my left arm.

Barely…

It lifted slightly but then fell limply back onto the bed.

Siabel nodded as she looked at my arm.

“The priest said she would need to treat you separately a few more times. Thanks to that, Sione is currently talking with the priest… she’ll probably come and tell you soon.”

“You mean Lady Sione herself is speaking with the priest, not another servant?”

“Yes.”

Siabel nodded.

“Last night, when I asked if we should have another soldier take care of you, she stayed up all night nursing you, saying it was fine. And as soon as we arrived at the estate, it was Sione who called the priest to heal you.”

“……”

“After the priest finished the treatment and you still didn’t wake up, you should have seen how much Sione pestered the priest.”

I quietly listened to Siabel’s words without any particular reaction.

So it wasn’t just me—Sione had also grown attached enough to be upset when I collapsed.

I was quite satisfied with the fact that she had stayed by my side instead of ordering a subordinate to do it.

Well, considering how I had risked my body to protect her, it was only right for her to do so.

But regardless, I couldn’t help feeling quite satisfied.

Just a moment ago, I had felt a bit annoyed that Siabel had come to see me before Sione, despite how I had saved her.

But now that I knew it was because she was talking with the priest about healing my left arm,

Sione started to look less annoying and more favorable in my eyes.

It was in the midst of this that

The warm atmosphere surrounding Siabel suddenly changed when:

“By the way… you managed to mess up the Arachne’s head quite well. Can you tell me how you did it?”

Though her words ended as a request, the atmosphere was closer to an interrogation.

Since my use of magic had already been discovered,

There was no need to hide from Siabel how I had defeated the Arachne.

As she asked, I opened my mouth obediently.

“I simply sacrificed my left arm and borrowed the power of magic to defeat the Arachne.”

“How is your mana condition now?”

“…Since a day has passed, it seems my mana has recovered sufficiently.”

“Then—”

Her expression, which had been growing increasingly cold, became tinged with amusement.

“I’d like to see for myself the magic you used to defeat the Arachne.”

“As you wish.”

I simply coated my right hand with flames.

The elemental flame that could burn only what the caster desired.

Thanks to the quest reward that had greatly improved my mana capacity and efficiency, the mana consumption was less burdensome than when I had faced the Arachne.

It wasn’t just a flame that manifested and burned, but a flame that coated something without giving off any heat.

Even someone not well-versed in magic would be able to tell it was extraordinary.

Sure enough, Siabel stared intently at my magic until I dispelled the fiery membrane on my hand.

Whoosh!

Only after the thinly burning fire disappeared did Siabel look at me.

“…The more I look, the more fascinating it is.”

“A man handling magic—”

“No, not the magic.”

Siabel lowered her waist.

Thud.

She placed both hands on the bed sheet to support her upper body.

Then, with cold eyes but an expression full of interest, she brought her face closer to mine.

“You, Ray.”

Siabel’s sudden action made it difficult for my mind to work properly.

I stared at her with round eyes, but

She continued speaking as if she didn’t care about my reaction.

“Even to someone like me who isn’t well-versed in magic, your special magic is remarkable. And the way you use such magic so casually. They say every man hides at least one secret in his heart…”

Siabel’s eyes shone like those of a predator that had found its prey.

“You keep revealing new secrets without getting tired, to the point where I can’t even gauge how many secrets you’re hiding.”

With a small laugh, “hehe,” she moved even closer to me.

Startled by her approach, I fidgeted and moved away to the side.

“You said that despite being a man, you had enough skill with a sword to handle a wolf. I’m quite looking forward to crossing swords with you.”

Her gaze swept over my left arm.

“With your arm like this, it wouldn’t be comfortable to wield a sword. Regrettable, but let’s look forward to next time.”

After saying that, Siabel reached out her right hand to tousle my hair and simultaneously

Held me so I couldn’t escape further to the side, bringing her face even closer.

With the shortened distance, soon all I could see was Siabel’s face.

…Why is she suddenly acting like this?

We hadn’t known each other that long.

I swallowed dryly, uncomfortable with her overwhelming proximity.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be searching for and subjugating traces of heretics in the Beltrin Mountains with the knights… so focus solely on healing your arm until I return from completing my work.”

As I quietly observed her words,

Siabel tilted her head.

“Your answer?”

“…I will do my best as Lady Siabel wishes.”

Whoosh—

A cool breeze blew through the open window.

Siabel’s silver-white hair, which reached down to her chest, swayed gently in the wind.

At the same time, with a very satisfied smile on her face, she said:

“Good.”

Only then did Siabel remove her hand from my head and pull her face away.

Creeeeak…

At that exact moment, the door opened again.

This time, the person who appeared was none other than Sione.

It seemed the story about her nursing me all night wasn’t a lie.

Dark circles had settled under her eyes.

Sione’s gaze quickly swept over me and Siabel.

At the same time, her expression crumpled slightly, almost imperceptibly unless one looked closely.

Did Siabel notice her sister’s change in expression?

She let out a small chuckle.

“I’ll see you next time then.”

“…Farewell.”

Siabel gave a simple greeting to her sister and left without hesitation.

Behind her departing sister, Sione fixed her gaze on me again.

“Ray… you’re finally awake. Are you feeling alright?”

“Thanks to your concern, I don’t feel any pain at all. Please don’t worry.”

“Hehe, that’s good to hear.”

Sione pulled a chair that had been placed in front of the table and approached the bed.

After quietly bringing the chair right next to the bed, Sione sat down.

After a moment of silence, Sione finally spoke.

“May I ask… what you and my sister were talking about just now?”

At that moment, for reasons I couldn’t explain, my sharp intuition urgently warned me.

…To answer carefully.