Ch.8787. At the Training Ground (8)

“…Could you repeat that again?”

Sione’s expression had already hardened.

It was cold.

Not just her expression.

The carefully restrained tone she used toward her sister was equally frigid.

For speaking to her sister, a knight she respected, her response was infinitely cold.

‘Well…’

In a way, Sione’s reaction was natural.

Suddenly approaching her personal attendant too closely and whispering in his ear.

And then saying she wanted to borrow him.

All this at dawn when everyone would be asleep.

Wouldn’t such words invite misunderstanding from anyone?

Siabel’s hand that had been resting on my shoulder fell away.

She walked past me and approached Sione leisurely, while I glanced sideways to observe her profile.

‘…?’

Despite her sister’s cold response, Siabel wore a warm smile.

Swish.

After brushing her bangs to the side, Siabel began stroking Sione’s hair.

A wary gaze crossed with a mischievously bright one.

In this quiet situation, Siabel was the first to speak.

“As you can see, there are many people with sharp ears here.”

Siabel slowly surveyed those around us.

Quite a few people had gathered to watch our prolonged duel.

Soldiers training under the instructor’s guidance. Many of them were watching us.

And the knights who had been crossing swords with each other were also looking at me with interest, and beyond that, at the two ladies with their strange atmosphere.

“I think it would be better if we moved elsewhere to talk.”

As Siabel said, there was nothing to gain by discussing her wanting to “borrow” me at dawn in this place.

Sione nodded with a sullen expression.

And I as well.

“Ray. You come along too.”

“…”

“It’s about you, so shouldn’t you hear it directly?”

I followed behind the sisters as they led the way.

* * *

Siabel came to the room that no one but Sione and I entered.

Siabel sat in a chair at the table where Sione and I usually shared tea and snacks.

Naturally, Sione sat across from her, while I stood a little distance away, merely observing them.

“…I’ll bring some tea.”

Rather than just standing and watching in this atmosphere, I thought it would be better to serve tea.

I gathered a new teacup for Siabel, tea, and some snacks, then returned to the room.

I thought they might have had some conversation while I was briefly out.

But they apparently hadn’t exchanged any meaningful words during my absence, as a deep silence hung in the room.

“I’ve brought snacks and tea. Please help yourselves.”

Clink. Clink.

I placed a plate of cookies that Sione liked on the table.

Only then did Sione, who had been sitting with her hands neatly folded on her lap, reach out to take a cookie.

“…”

Munch, munch.

…Well, if she wanted cookies that badly, what could I do?

I poured tea into Sione’s cup first, suggesting she drink it with the cookies, then filled Siabel’s cup.

“Thank you.”

Unlike my master who was busy eating cookies, Siabel smiled and expressed her gratitude to me.

I bowed my head and stepped back, once again taking in the sight of them.

Normally, Sione would grin happily every time she ate sweet cookies.

But now, Sione was looking at Siabel expressionlessly, apparently still displeased with what she had heard from Siabel at the training ground.

“Oh, this has a different aroma from the tea Bronte brings every day?”

It had been a while since I’d heard the name of my friend, Bronte.

“The tea Bronte brought was just bitter. This is much better.”

It seems he needs to try harder.

While Siabel was enjoying her tea for a moment, Sione spoke first.

“…Sister.”

“Hmm?”

“You said you wanted to borrow Ray at dawn. May I ask your intention?”

“Exactly as I said. I couldn’t attend to my business except at dawn or late at night, so that’s why I said it.”

“…Your joke is rather mischievous.”

In response to Sione’s chilly tone, Siabel smiled gently and put down her teacup.

Then Siabel sensed the emotion her sister was displaying with her cold gaze, and with calm eyes, she saw through her true feelings.

“Joke?”

As Sione’s composure crumbled further.

After brushing her bangs to the side again, Siabel continued.

“I want to cross swords with him, so it can’t be helped.”

At Siabel’s words, Sione’s expression subtly distorted.

“We already crossed swords today… and moreover, didn’t you say dawn?”

“No, not that kind of sword.”

Siabel folded her arms elegantly.

“I want to see that sword Ray showed at the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

As Siabel said this and turned her gaze to me, naturally Sione also looked at me.

Siabel’s overly intense gaze and Sione’s interest were fully concentrated on me.

“A Demonkin’s attack is not light. I know better than anyone, having crossed swords with them.”

Siabel smiled bitterly.

She seemed to be thinking about the battle with those Demonkin she had encountered with Diolia before.

At that time, Siabel, like me when I caught the Arachne, had returned with one arm reduced to a rag.

“But I heard you cut down two Demonkin alone… so you must know how to fight while using Mana, right? And—”

“…”

“At a proficient level, no less.”

…I wonder how much more troublesome she intends to make things for me.

As if unsatisfied with today’s duel, she looked at me with shining eyes.

The longer our eyes remained locked, the deeper the smile at the corners of her lips grew.

Finally, creating a bright smile on her cold features, Siabel said to her sister:

“So I’d like to duel with him again in the knights’ way. But it would be too conspicuous unless it’s late at night or dawn.”

“…As much as I respect you, sister, I find it difficult to grant your request.”

“Oh?”

At those words, Sione drank the tea in front of her without ceremony.

“Dawn means when the sun hasn’t risen yet, doesn’t it? To cross swords at such a time.”

“That’s—”

“Moreover, in an already dangerous situation, using Mana… Ray is not a knight who trains with a sword every day.”

After saying this, Sione took a moment to catch her breath.

“And… I’m worried, so it won’t do.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Ray appears before me injured—”

Sione, who had been speaking fluently, suddenly pressed her lips together.

As she hesitated to continue, both Siabel and I looked at her expectantly.

Finally, Sione continued in an embarrassed, shrinking voice:

“…I would be very sad.”

Looking at Sione saying this, Siabel nodded with a grin.

“You care for your attendant more than I thought.”

Sione glanced at me briefly.

Still not over her embarrassment, her cheeks remained slightly flushed.

“Because he’s… my person…”

With those words, Sione turned red all the way to her ears.

“Hmm…”

Unable to stay still, apparently.

My master moved her hand toward the cookies again.

Munch.

After quickly putting a cookie in her mouth and chewing hastily, Sione looked down at her teacup, but seemed flustered to find it empty.

What on earth was she doing?

I inwardly sighed and poured tea into both Sione’s and Siabel’s cups again.

As Sione began to drink her tea, Siabel chuckled and said to me:

“No matter how I look at it… our Sione seems properly enchanted by you.”

“Mmph…!”

Sione, who had been drinking tea, reacted to Siabel’s words.

She was desperately trying not to spit out the tea that filled her mouth.

Gulp.

Having fortunately avoided spitting tea at her sister, Sione sighed in relief.

After Sione’s little physical comedy, the conversation was simply concluded.

“I think I made an unreasonable request against expectations.”

Siabel cleanly withdrew her desire to cross swords with me at dawn.

Even I thought that engaging in swordplay using Mana from dawn was inappropriate.

Fortunately, Siabel seemed to have belatedly realized what kind of slip she had made.

Afterward, they talked about what had happened in their lives until the snacks and tea were gone.

Siabel talked about what had happened in the domain, and Sione about what had happened in the royal palace.

Of course, the main stories were from Sione, who had lived a more densely packed life.

After chatting for a while.

Scrape.

Siabel rose from her seat.

“Are you leaving now?”

“We’ve talked enough. I’ve been busy, so I want to chat with Diolia too.”

With those words, Sione and I came out of the room to see Siabel off.

After exchanging brief farewells, Sione entered the room first.

Just as I was about to follow her.

“Ah, Ray.”

Siabel called my name.

“There was something I wanted to tell you. I almost forgot.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yes. Two days ago, a letter arrived for Aria, and when I read it, your name was written in it.”

“What…?”

I couldn’t understand why my name would be in Aria’s letter.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Siabel slowly began to recite what Aria had written in the letter.

“She said she would soon visit the Sianella domain, and if possible, she would like to talk with you again…”

“…”

“When Aria comes, I’ll call for you.”

The connection formed at the royal palace continued, and another troublesome matter arose.