88. In the cool wind (1)

A perfect winter has come to the count’s family.

Rising alone in the high sky, the power of the sun, which scattered warm sunlight, weakened. With the lowering of the sun’s altitude, the hours of bright daylight decreased and the hours of the moon lengthened.

From autumn to winter.

As the seasons change, as the northern wind blows down, the people of Yeongji busily continue their lives in different ways to survive the cold winter.

Commoners worry about how to survive during the winter, and homeless beggars, let alone food, figure out how to survive the cold night without freezing to death.

And an attendant like me, whether the seasons change or not. There is only consistent concern.

‘It was just around this time.’

It was on a winter day like this that I was assigned to Sione as a slave and exclusive servant by Ainel’s order.

Just a year ago, that bastard of Sione could smell the strong scent of the old man from the horse.

I thought I was never good enough to be a human…….

‘It’s extraordinary.’

She’s not very competent yet, but Shione continues to develop and grow.

The Sione of a year ago and the Sione of today.

It is the same that both of them do not easily get down from the bed.

“Stop it… A little more here…… !”

Right now, Shione isn’t just eating cookies, she’s training mana by bringing an arrow from the shooting range.

That’s how Shione was struggling with her mana.

Ugh!!

“… Uh?”

The arrowheads resonated with Shione’s mana and began to emit a clear cry.

Her mana, which was only emitting a faint blue light from the sharp end of the arrowhead, suddenly changed.

The pale color deepens. The energy that spread loosely gathers at one point and is compressed.

‘No, already…… ?’

It was not a skill that could be seen as the insignificant mana interference of a beginner mana user.

At least an aura that can only be seen by those who are advanced to advanced mana users and experts.

If it took more time, it would have taken, but that means that Shione is never something that can be seen.

Confused, I hurriedly checked Shione’s complexion.

A face with thick beads of sweat.

She frowned at the effort of keeping the change on her arrowhead, but she couldn’t hide the joy.

Ugh… ….

The mana that had been gathering in Sione’s arrowhead eventually scattered aimlessly along the way.

“Whoa… ….”

Shione operated her mana and breathed in the breath she had been holding back.

Still, she gently put the arrow down beside her bed and looked down at her hand.

The corner of her mouth that went up gently was filled with delight.

Like an innocent child, she lifts her head with a swish of her bright smile and looks at me.

“Ray! Did you see it!”

I slowly nodded my head backwards, taken aback by Shione’s words.

Then Shione suddenly got up from the bed and Dodo ran to me and hugged me.

Wow!

“Did you see it!”

“Ah… yes. I saw it.”

“How is it, isn’t it great?”

“… I never imagined that you would collect mana already. Could you please try one more time?”

At my words, Shione raised her arrow again.

Then, she put all her effort into gathering her own mana to produce meaningful results like she just did, but…….

“Ooh…… !”

As usual, the arrowhead only has a weak blue aura.

I couldn’t see them condensing more vividly and thickly like just before.

Tried several more times, still the same.

As if the aura on the arrowhead formed by Shione’s hand became a fleeting, sweet mirage.

After she scattered and disappeared, it seemed impossible to catch her again.

‘Well… ….’

No matter how much I awakened her talent through quests and made her grow faster.

Sword and arrowhead. It is said that there is a big difference between wearing a strong mana around a long sword and condensing mana on a small arrowhead and overlaying her strong energy.

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to fully awaken your aura already at this point?

I said while stroking Shione’s head, who was stunned.

“Don’t be so discouraged. Today, I peeked at the stage that Sione will rise to. If she goes slowly, she will be able to make it all her own.”

“… Thank you.”

Perhaps it was because I had been working so hard on mana just now, Sione’s sticky sweat touched my hands.

From noble mtl dot com

Write… I think I stroked it for nothing.

But what? You should wash your hands again.

For now, it would be a better choice to praise her for the bits of her potential.

I didn’t bother to stop stroking it.

Thanks to this, Shione was able to regain her confidence.

“But… I remember that feeling from just before. It looks like she’s finally getting some clues.”

I shook my head at Sione’s words.

Certainly, it is much easier to reach a level that has been experienced once than to reach something beyond the unknown.

Then, Sione hugged me tightly and said.

“Then… It’s not long before our promise, right?”

Before I knew it, Shione changed her tone and treated me with a careful and gentle respectful language.

As she looked up at me, I could see her deep affection for me.

My master was watching me, desperately trying to figure out what kind of answer I would give.

I quietly looked into Shione’s expectant eyes.

‘… ….’

I asked myself again what kind of answer would be good to give to her feelings that could not be postponed and ignored.

Actually, like a few days ago. I had deep thoughts about Shione’s feelings separately a few times.

Thanks to my thoughts and feelings that have been sorted out to some extent, my conflict did not last long.

‘Because it’s Sione.’

Since he confessed his love to me at the shooting range around dusk, the one who has consistently sought my affection forever is Sione.

It’s been a long time since I’ve become a beauty by escaping from the wild beasts of the past. Her words and actions were also trying to match me.

Love that transcends the status of nobility and servants, this is not the world of romance fantasy.

This must be a dark fantasy world where there will be bloodshed due to war with demons.

How the hell did this happen?

A year ago, I would have never imagined it would end up like this with Sione.

I smiled and lifted Shione’s bangs with my hand.

Her immaculate forehead was daintyly exposed.

It’s trivial, but it was my choice to respond to her heart in a small way.

“… Brother?”

A look taken aback by my sudden action

I neatly ignored her reaction and kissed her on the forehead briefly.

“Huh?”

Shione’s bewildered voice only resonated in the quiet room.

She stared at me for a while, as if she didn’t understand the situation, then hugged me tightly.

With her ears red hot, she purred while listening to my heartbeat.

With Shione in my arms, she quietly whispered.

“… I love you.”

* *

Several days have passed since then.

In the meantime, a letter came from Zion Cianella saying that she was starting to return to the county from the academy in the eastern part of the kingdom.

Arya said that she would come down from the north to Countess Cianella. Within a few days, it was about the time she arrived at the county.

And furthermore, the state of Cianella’s estate—

“The fortress manor is quite noisy.”

I couldn’t say it was a very good situation.

“… Did they come down again?”

“Yes, I also heard that Orcs descended from the west and north at the same time this time.”

I thought it wasn’t like that last winter.

What the hell happened this year?

The problem was that the monsters, mainly Orcs from the Beltrin Mountains, who lived in the area were constantly stepping into the territory and wreaking havoc.

The only thing the Count’s family’s huge and solid walls are guarding is the center and the residential area where the main facilities of the manor are concentrated.

For those who lived outside the walls hunting or farming, the frequent riots of monsters the size of orcs could be seen as a disaster.

“It is difficult. We haven’t been able to subdue all the wolves and kobolds that came down before.”

“Yes, most of them have fled to the north of the territory and are causing another commotion. Orcs who descended from the Beltrin Mountains refilled the west side, which had been cleared to some extent.”

“Yes… ….”

There is no mess like this.

When I thought of the knights and soldiers who would suffer even more in this cold winter, I felt nothing but pity.

I stayed in the warm mansion and said, feeling grateful to hear the news of the estate through Shione’s mouth.

“I hope things can be resolved without major damage.”

Please calmly end this winter without a single blizzard, and let the warm spring of life come.

* *

Poof!

I threw my clothes, proving that I am Cianella’s attendant, on the bed.

After putting on several layers of winter clothing given to me by Sione, I put on the leather armor that had been chilled in the warehouse near the gymnasium.

The thin iron plate attached to the chest had the pattern of Cianella engraved on it.

Although the pattern of the sword penetrating the devil’s horn was quite antique and had its own style.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a stable state of mind and body to the extent of admiring these patterns while sitting there.

Clap.

The sword was kicked at the waist.

It was the sword I received from Eunice Callia.

Then I heard a bow in my hand.

My elf-made bow that I received in recognition for saving Adelheit.

I whispered nervously at the texture of the cold wood felt in my hand.

“…… f*ck.”

I wonder if I, a mere attendant, have to go this far… For a while, Yeongji wanted to be noisy, but in the end, the damn match was decided.

The thought of shooting an arrow and sitting down while facing the cold wind with my bare face makes me shed tears already.