Ch.8181. At the Training Ground (2)

Siabel clicked her tongue irritably, as if she’d been hit with a verbal blow.

“Tsk.”

Especially since Aria’s comment about preparing to get hit by her hand seemed to be the final blow.

“…Says the spear-wielder who just swings a long stick from behind.”

Siabel showed a cold smile.

As she began to openly display her dislike for Aria, who had a cold impression resembling Ainel, this situation naturally became more uncomfortable.

Yes, it’s nice for friends to have a pleasant conversation…

But why are they having this emotional exchange with me stuck in the middle?

I wish they would consider the feelings of a former slave servant caught between two superiors.

For a while, I kept my mouth shut and watched her cautiously.

After muttering to herself and complaining to Aria for a moment, Siabel finally smoothed her expression while gently stroking her long hair.

“‘Prepare to get beaten up,’ she says. Aria put it quite refreshingly.”

“…It seems you and Aria have a special relationship.”

“Special, huh… Yes, I suppose it is special. After all, I’m Aria’s only friend.”

“Her only friend?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at Aria? She probably sits alone at parties, just sipping wine without mingling with others. From my perspective, she’s quite shy.”

“…I see.”

Indeed, as Siabel said, during the banquet, Aria barely spoke to anyone except for occasionally clinking glasses with visitors while observing her surroundings.

Considering that I was actually the person who had the most substantial conversation with Aria that day…

In some ways, Siabel’s words seemed both right and wrong.

As I nodded in response to Siabel’s comments about her friend, she playfully asked:

“So, Ray. Who do you think would win if Aria and I fought?”

“I…”

It felt awkward to say she would lose right in front of Siabel.

If comparing a swordsman and a spear-wielder of equal skill, I would favor the spear-wielder, but…

According to what Siabel said earlier…

Siabel had reached the Expert level, while Aria apparently hadn’t caught up to her yet.

I answered her question simply:

“Since a knight who has reached the Expert level possesses incredibly powerful and formidable skills… even the mysteries of spear techniques would be difficult to overcome. I believe you would win, Lady Siabel.”

Siabel seemed quite pleased with my answer, creating an even softer atmosphere.

After chatting for a while, Siabel skillfully guided the conversation toward its conclusion.

As the smoothly progressing conversation ended, I bowed my head to Siabel and was about to leave when:

“Ah, right.”

Siabel’s brief words stopped me in my tracks.

What else could she have to say that made her call me back?

When our eyes met, I could feel a wave of intense emotion washing over me.

A sticky anticipation. Her anticipation, held back to the extreme, was gleaming in her sky-blue eyes.

“You said it before. That you had enough swordsmanship to take down a wolf. So I believe we promised to cross swords sometime.”

The words I had spoken to Siabel when hunting a Magia-infected gray wolf in the Beltrin Mountains.

She had remembered my words all this time.

“At first it was postponed because your arm wasn’t fully healed after facing the Arachne. Then my arm was damaged, so it’s been delayed until now.”

Saying this, Siabel made a fist with her left hand and tapped her right arm.

“Well, now that my right arm has fully recovered, I think it’s about time we crossed swords.”

Contrary to Siabel’s wishes…

My left arm had a large hole from rescuing Sione.

It took considerable time to heal my arm, so our duel was postponed.

And when my arm finally healed, Siabel was dispatched to search the Beltrin Mountains and suffered a serious injury to her right arm from a Demonkin attack.

The duel she so desired with me had been indefinitely postponed.

“How about we cross swords in about a week, after you’ve fully recovered from your travel fatigue?”

From her gentle yet insistent tone that seemed to refuse any rejection, to her determined gaze that showed she was intent on crossing swords with me…

While Sione and I were caught up in all sorts of trouble at the royal palace, Siabel had been eagerly anticipating our duel all this time.

“…Could you coordinate the schedule with Lady Sione?”

As Siabel nodded at my words…

[A quest has been formed.]

I’m not sure what’s happening when I haven’t even been back at the Count’s residence for a full day, but a new quest appeared before my eyes.

「Proof of Swordsmanship」

「Siabel Sianella finds your existence highly intriguing. While mana and magic cannot be ignored, if asked what interests her most, it would undoubtedly be your swordsmanship. To win her greater favor, prove to Siabel Sianella that your skills exceed her expectations.」

「Reward: Awakening of Siabel Sianella’s power, Improved mana efficiency」

The requirement was basically to not hold back when crossing swords with Siabel and to show her a level of swordsmanship that would genuinely impress her.

The reward for meeting this condition was none other than the awakening of Siabel Sianella’s power.

The awakening of the demon-slaying ability passed down in the Sianella family, along with an improvement in my mana efficiency.

Just as my mana efficiency improved when I completed quests related to Siabel or succeeded in amusing her before, it seems I’ll receive a reward related to mana efficiency by accepting this quest as well.

Mana efficiency. An excellent reward that can compensate for my insufficient mana capacity.

However, right now, more than the previously mentioned reward, the new reward caught my attention.

‘Awakening the demon-slaying power…’

It means reawakening the power that has faded over time.

Not bad.

No, it’s not just “not bad”—it’s definitely good.

Whether it’s those cultists who had the audacity to attack the royal palace on the day of the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony…

The Sianella family, who burn with rage at the mere sight of demons.

The Demonkin and demon worshippers who fearlessly revealed themselves nearby.

Even at this moment, demon-related entities are running rampant. How much worse will things get as time passes?

Beyond demons, when facing anything related to Magia, the demon-slaying power will shine.

Considering the possibility that real demons might break through dimensions in the future, it would be beneficial to awaken the power of our promising knight, Siabel.

As I thought this and bowed my head—

“Good. I can look forward to it, right?”

Siabel said while naturally stroking my hair.

“My swordsmanship may be humble… but I’ll do my best to satisfy you, Lady Siabel.”

* * *

After finishing my conversation with Siabel, I entered Sione’s room.

Indeed, it had been a while since I last set foot in Sione’s room.

During my time at the royal palace, other servants must have come to clean it regularly, as it was spotlessly clean without a speck of dust.

And in that room…

Sione, who had already bathed and changed into comfortable clothes.

She stared at me with a dissatisfied expression from her bed, wrapped in blankets.

“…You’re late.”

It seems she was displeased that I arrived later than expected.

“Did something happen on your way here?”

I told Sione about what had happened in the corridor.

“On my way, I ran into Lady Siabel Sianella and had a brief conversation. I apologize for being late.”

“Ah. If you met my sister… there’s no need to bow like that. Instead…”

Pat, pat.

Sione tapped the side of her bed with her palm.

“I’d like you to sit here and… stroke my hair.”

She’s so consistent.

I sat on Sione’s bed and slowly began stroking her hair.

Perhaps because she’s become noticeably more affectionate lately, giving me the feeling of having a cute little sister…

Stroking her hair no longer feels awkward to me.

As I casually stroked her soft hair, Sione suddenly asked:

“So… how was my sister Siabel? Is she doing well?”

“Her right arm, which was severely injured, has fully healed, and she looked healthy. She asked me about crossing swords after I’ve fully recovered from my travel fatigue, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

“…That’s a relief. And… she did mention wanting to cross swords with you several times before we went to the capital.”

After briefly reminiscing about the past, Sione looked up at me.

“So what do you think about it?”

“What do I think… you mean about dueling with Lady Siabel?”

“Yes. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I can talk to my sister about it.”

I shook my head at Sione’s words.

A simple duel would be a good opportunity to awaken Siabel’s power.

Of course, to successfully complete the quest, I would need to show swordsmanship impressive enough to captivate her.

But after protecting the princess with a single sword at the royal palace and beheading a Demonkin, what would be the point of hiding my swordsmanship any further?

Moreover, Siabel had already seen even more than that—my magic.

After conveying my thoughts to Sione, she said in a worried tone:

“Be careful not to get hurt.”

Come on, it’s just a duel, not a fight to the death.

I shrugged lightly and replied:

“It’s just a duel. Don’t worry.”

Sione nodded at my words with a somewhat disapproving look.

Yes, it’s just a duel.

It will surely be less dangerous than the blades of the Demonkin who were after my life, so I definitely won’t get hurt.