Ch.6363. Do You Like It? Will You Marry Me?

“KWEEEEEK!”

“Move aside!”

“KWEEEEEK!”

“No, it’s dangerous! Get out of the way!”

“KWEEEEEK!”

As expected, it was Miria Alphonse flying around.

I couldn’t help but wonder, can a woman’s swordsmanship be this beautiful?

She definitely showed signs of having practiced swordsmanship step by step from a young age.

“Sister, you’re amazing.”

As I clapped my hands and showered her with compliments, Miria Alphonse glanced at her sword stained with monster blood and smiled.

“It’s not as good as my own sword, but this one is quite usable.”

There was one problem, though.

The sword in my hand was far too clean.

Why?

Because Miria Alphonse wasn’t giving me even a single chance to kill any monsters.

“Can I hunt some monsters now too?”

“No! Stay right behind me.”

So this is what it feels like to be protected?

I came to hunt monsters to relieve stress, but thanks to Miria Alphonse, I haven’t been able to kill even one.

Jawil Wilson, who had been standing blankly, finally spoke up.

“Miss Miria seems stronger than most knights.”

“Do you like her? Want to marry her?”

“…What?!”

“Just say the word anytime. I’ll go get approval from her father.”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant.”

“Is it because she’s nobility? What’s wrong with a knight marrying nobility these days? Our father was a knight too, so he’d understand.”

“Haha… I don’t want a married life where I get beaten up.”

Ha, this bastard…

He’s not falling for it.

Surprisingly, he’s quite perceptive about these things.

Did my attempt to get back at him for the Lucien incident fail?

“I’m not just saying this because she’s my sister, but honestly, what’s the problem? She’s got the face, the figure, what more do you want?”

“Young master.”

“What?”

“I’m a knight of the Alphonse family. Do you think I don’t know the young lady’s personality?”

“Hmm, but wouldn’t she treat someone she likes well?”

“As her brother, doesn’t she like you? And are you happy about that?”

This bastard…

Was he always this articulate?

He fell for my whispers so easily when I entrusted Lucien to him before, but now he’s completely unfazed?

“By the way, are you just going to watch too?”

“What can I do? The young lady specifically instructed me to stay close and protect you.”

“It’s funny that you think you can protect me.”

“Indeed. It seems the young lady doesn’t know how strong you really are.”

“Even when I try to show my skills, she makes a fuss as soon as I step forward. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Why don’t you just close your eyes and charge forward to slice up some monsters?”

Of course I could do that.

But being protected by someone wasn’t all that bad.

When someone is essentially risking their life to protect me, I can endure not being able to relieve stress.

I smirked as I watched Miria Alphonse hunting monsters.

“It’s fine. We shouldn’t interfere when she’s working so hard to hunt monsters.”

“Are you enjoying this situation?”

“I might be.”

“If I had known, I would have brought some of the snacks the young lady bought.”

“Yeah, with nothing to do, my mouth is getting bored.”

“But is it because we’ve come in deeper? The monsters in this area seem tougher than expected.”

Hmm, from what I’m seeing today, there are signs of a monster wave coming.

Usually, there would only be hobgoblins and orcs around here, but now we’re occasionally seeing trolls.

Well, Miria Alphonse has the skill to handle trolls easily, so the hunt is progressing smoothly, but…

I touched the scabbard at my waist and spoke.

“Keep your guard up too. The monster movements today are unusual.”

“Understood.”

That’s when it happened.

Was it because I spoke it into existence?

Heavy, sturdy footsteps could be heard.

The surroundings suddenly darkened due to a black shadow, and when I looked up, I couldn’t help but swallow hard.

A group of ogres.

These were monsters that would normally require three elite knights working together to take down just one.

Small horns protruded roughly from their heads, and their arms holding iron maces bulged with muscles.

Even Miria Alphonse flinched at the appearance of the ogres.

“S-Selden, how could there be a group of ogres here…”

Their overwhelming size made my hair stand on end.

My mouth fell open at the extraordinary appearance of these ogres, which I had only read about in novels.

“Wow, this definitely confirms a monster wave is coming.”

Until just a moment ago, there were signs of a monster wave, but I couldn’t be certain.

Since I had been reincarnated as “Selden Alphonse,” I didn’t know how far the butterfly effect had spread.

However.

The appearance of ogres in Lake territory.

This alone was enough to guess that a monster wave would occur in about half a year.

Whirlrlrk-! Kuung-!

An ogre’s iron mace swung precisely toward Miria Alphonse in an instant.

She quickly countered with her sword, but the overwhelming force pushed her back against a tree.

Despite blood pouring from her mouth, the first thing she looked for was, of course, me.

“Kuh, kuhak! Selden, run away quickly!”

To think that someone like “The Giving Tree” from the book actually existed…

Her selfless love automatically filled my lower body with strength.

And then.

Kuwaaaak-!

Drawing my Raiden Sword, I leaped high into the air, cleanly sliced off the ogre’s head, and turned to give Miria Alphonse a gentle smile.

“Now I’ll protect you.”

*

Kuwak-!

Miria Alphonse couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes.

The appearance of ogres in Lake territory, which should never have happened, was shocking enough.

But now, these formidable ogres were being cut down one after another.

And by none other than “Selden Alphonse.”

The good-for-nothing at the edge of the Eastern Continent.

Her younger brother who had shown no talent for swordsmanship since childhood, nor had he ever put in any effort.

She understood why.

As the youngest child in a family who should have been showered with love, he must have felt suffocated by the outstanding and genius talents of the first and second children.

As he grew older, he strayed further.

Some days he would spend in pleasure quarters, and on others, he would refuse to leave home out of fear of monster hunting.

Yet Miria Alphonse never hated Selden.

What was the reason?

Miria Alphonse had to maintain her dignity with restrained behavior from birth.

As the only daughter of the Alphonse family, this was especially true.

The choking pressure.

She hadn’t particularly wanted anything, but lived each day according to the image created for her.

“Sister, what are you trying to gain by living like this?”

One day, it was a simple question from Selden Alphonse.

However, she couldn’t answer.

She herself didn’t know what she was suppressing her emotions for.

Unlike their other siblings who were full of pretense, Selden Alphonse was someone who somehow achieved whatever he wanted to do.

Unlike the other siblings who behaved in a manner befitting nobility, Selden Alphonse was uninhibited.

“If you don’t have a reason, then live comfortably from now on. Since I’m here, all the arrows will be directed at me anyway.”

Could even a good-for-nothing feel the bonds of blood?

She felt warmth from Selden Alphonse.

The certainty that amidst the bloody competition between siblings, he alone was on her side.

Rather, from that day on, Miria Alphonse decided to protect Selden.

Even when he was expelled from the family and sent to exile, she knelt before her father, crying and begging him to give Selden Alphonse one more chance.

She wanted to protect him, even at the cost of her life.

But now.

“Now I’ll protect you.”

He dodged the ogre’s iron mace skillfully, thrust with his sword, and opened his palm to release magic.

Despite being covered in monster blood, Selden Alphonse’s silver pupils showed no sign of wavering.

‘How is this possible?’

She knew that their father, Baron Byron, had been trusting him lately.

He had brought substantial profits to the family with the Pale Fruit, and recently he had been invited to the imperial palace, raising the family’s status.

On top of that, he had received gifts from the Emperor himself…

This would have been surprising news even for the first and second children, let alone Selden Alphonse, the notorious good-for-nothing of the Alphonse family.

Kuwaaaak-!

Kuweoeoek-!

Yes, she understood that much.

Everyone has their lucky breaks and times when things go well.

But swordsmanship was clearly a matter of talent.

Such insane growth in such a short time was truly unbelievable.

Kweoeoeoek-!

Now there was only one ogre left.

Born accustomed to strength and knowing no fear, the ogre was now backing away from Selden Alphonse’s aura.

Seurulung-!

Kreoeoeoek-!

With a single strike, Selden Alphonse brought down the last massive ogre.

Her mouth fell open at the unbelievable sight.

“Are you alright?”

Selden Alphonse approached Miria Alphonse with concerned eyes.

She trembled as she spoke, sensing something was off.

“You… who are you?”