Ch.6565. Sianella’s Male Knight (2)

Adelheid, with a crooked smile at the corner of her mouth, spoke to the guard who had followed alongside her.

“I have some matters to discuss with these people privately, so please wait at a distance.”

At the princess’s words, the knight withdrew to a fair distance, and her solemn, elegant atmosphere dissipated somewhat. However, only Adelheid felt a sense of liberation from the guard’s departure. Sione and I became even more tense.

Though he was just a guard, there was no one beside us to listen to the conversation together. Not only were the nobles facing Sione, who was rumored to be incompetent, but no one approached us as we glanced around wondering what conversation required even her knight to withdraw.

This was truly a private audience. What else could it be?

Perhaps it was because a royal princess had inserted herself among archers who had been happily chatting about bows.

“Umm…”

Sione swallowed hard, her fists clenched tight with intense nervousness. Though I stood behind her and couldn’t see her face, I could easily imagine the situation.

Her expression would be rigid, her focus wavering. She’d be trying to appear natural, but failing and feeling troubled about it.

I could almost hear the pounding of Sione’s heart from where I stood.

As I watched Sione being consumed by overwhelming tension, Adelheid, having confirmed her guard was sufficiently distant, finally greeted us.

“Sione Sianella, second daughter of the County of Sianella. Didn’t we meet yesterday?”

“Yes, once in the banquet hall… and once when you came to summon Lady Feira Feiosha.”

Sione replied, and the princess nodded. Then, as she silently studied Sione with her arms crossed, Sione carefully opened her mouth.

“May I… ask why Your Highness has come to see me…?”

Despite Sione’s increasingly timid voice, Adelheid answered clearly.

“Yes, as for why I came… part of it is because you’re the sister of Siabel Sianella, who was so famous at the academy.”

A subtle color began to swirl in Adelheid’s pupils. Just as I had seen the previous night, the Royal House of Aicilia’s exclusive dragon eyes began operating at full capacity. Her eyes transformed into dragon eyes that penetrated the principles of all things and the fate of living beings.

Flinch.

Sione trembled at the sight of Adelheid’s transformed eyes. The princess, seeming to understand her reaction, smiled faintly.

“I simply wanted to have a private conversation with you.”

“…With me?”

“Yes, and I’d also like to speak with your attendant.”

Adelheid’s dragon eyes moved past Sione and toward me. The princess met my eyes again, trying to penetrate my identity.

“…Tsk.”

The princess clicked her tongue softly, apparently still unable to see anything from me, just as she had mentioned yesterday.

Twitch.

Sione flinched again at the sound of Adelheid’s tongue click.

She walked slowly past Sione toward me. As she did, her gaze gradually lowered to the sword hanging at my waist.

“Yesterday, you clearly stated with your own mouth that you were a slave and attendant. What is that sword for?”

I wondered when she would ask. Of course she would ask at this timing.

I calmly answered her question.

“…Lord Ainel Sianella ordered me to serve as Lady Sione’s guard, so I carry this sword.”

“The Sianella family must have many excellent knights. Yet they chose you, of all people.”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm… The head of the Sianella family wouldn’t have assigned you meaninglessly. And to entrust you with the lady’s protection, no less.”

Adelheid, who had been muttering almost in a whisper, finally seemed to be piecing things together, showing a deep interest with a seductive smile.

“You’re clearly hiding something much bigger than I thought.”

With those words, Adelheid stepped back a few paces to take in both Sione and me. Stroking her beautiful hair, she asked Sione:

“Do you know what power the eyes of Aicilia possess?”

“…I’ve heard they have the power to see through the principles of all things, and people’s abilities and fates.”

The princess nodded leisurely at Sione’s answer.

“You know, so this will go quickly.”

As the princess’s hand stopped stroking her purple hair, her intense interest began to focus on Sione. Sione tensed again at the change in the princess’s demeanor and listened attentively to her words.

“How many fates do you think a person can possess?”

“Fates…?”

“Yes, fates.”

“I think… a fate would be just one.”

Adelheid nodded.

“Yes, unless they’re called heroes by the world. Everyone is born with one fate. Even heroes have at most two or three branches of fate. Interestingly—”

Gulp.

Sione swallowed dryly.

“You have dozens of fates visible.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, your fate, unusually, has split and divided from a large root, creating dozens of paths.”

I fell into thought at Adelheid’s words.

Sione’s fate that Adelheid was talking about… it seemed to be because of me.

Starting from twisting Sione’s fate, who should still be confined to her room right now. Since I began intervening in Sione’s life, I must have affected her fate in many ways.

While I was thinking this, Adelheid continued her unfinished words.

“What’s even more interesting is that all those many fates of yours are still changing. How could I not approach you after seeing that?”

Fates still changing.

This seems to refer to Sione’s fate that will be further twisted by future quests.

This princess is quite perceptive.

As I thought about how Sione had changed since becoming involved with me, the princess turned to me, operating her dragon eyes at full capacity.

“But that’s not all. There’s even someone here who remains completely invisible to my eyes, no matter how much I focus my dragon eyes.”

At the princess’s words, Sione turned to look at me, who had been quietly observing the situation.

“My lady. Would you tell me about that attendant?”

Sione’s expression turned troubled.

It was a natural reaction.

If someone suddenly asks you to explain about me because they can’t read me, it would be difficult to know where to begin.

Sione hesitated without readily answering the princess’s question, wasting time in uncertainty.

Finally, seeming to have organized her thoughts, she was about to speak when—

“…Lady Sione?”

In an instant, her expression turned cold and she closed her mouth again.

What on earth was happening?

Sione, whose eyes had suddenly sharpened like Siabel Sianella in battle, scanned the surroundings and whispered:

“Why is there Magia now…?”

I frowned at Sione’s whisper.

Magia being sensed here, inside the royal palace of the Kingdom of Aicilia? At this moment, surrounded by high priests and numerous knights?

I might have dismissed it as nonsense, but Sione’s inherited power gave me pause.

The power of demon extermination.

A power that guarantees extraordinary sensitivity to demons and Magia, no matter how faint or insignificant the energy.

Seeing her speak like this while sober, unlike last night when she was drunk, it clearly wasn’t a joke.

Given Sione’s heightened reaction, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. I began surveying the surroundings cautiously.

Meanwhile, Adelheid tilted her head at Sione’s sudden change in demeanor.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

The moment she asked Sione this—

A ruffian sprang out from behind Adelheid.

With an extremely vicious expression, she put what looked like a black bead into her mouth.

And from this woman who had swallowed the bead—

Not just faint traces of Magia, but a thick, sudden surge of demonic energy erupted all at once.

How could swallowing a single bead cause such a sudden eruption of Magia?

Setting aside complaints and questions for this urgent situation—

I operated my Mana at full capacity and flicked the spine of my sword with my left thumb.

Ting!

As the sword’s cold blade appeared, I moved my feet.

Maintaining a sharp readiness to respond to any attack, I positioned myself to protect the princess’s back.

Feeling the princess’s dragon eyes following me, I circulated Mana throughout my body, awakening my body’s dormant limits, and—

“…Hah!”

I drew my sword.

The blade, catching the sunlight, shone brightly as it traced a powerful line from below to above.

Clang!!

My sword met the dagger of the strange assailant who was lunging to stab Adelheid.

At that moment—

[A quest has been formed.]

“First Historical Alteration”

“The first event in history that would lead the world to destruction began today, at Princess Adelheid’s coming-of-age ceremony. Adelheid, who was originally meant to receive a demon’s curse from this strike, has avoided the curse due to your intervention. Whether you will ride this twisting history to write a new one, or submit to a fate promised with destruction, all depends on your choice.”

“Reward: Historical Transformation”

“Failure: Severe injury to Sione Sianella, severe injury to Adelheid Aisilia, acceleration of destruction”

What in the world was happening?

Cursed Magia had erupted throughout the entire garden.