“Don’t forget, Adel. Just because you’ve learned these techniques doesn’t mean you can act like a traditional swordsman. This isn’t about catching swords with your bare hands or withstanding magic.”
“Bliss was once a family of mages. That’s why I knew what would be fatal to a mage, and I merely gave it form.”
“If your opponent isn’t a mage, then you’re basically just a trained civilian. You can’t even form a mana circuit. In the cold, your muscles freeze. In the heat, you lose moisture and slow down.”
“So unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t reveal these techniques. The moment they’re countered, you’ll lose your only advantage.”
“…I hope these techniques die out with your generation.”
Sunday came.
With my parents seeing me off, I climbed into the returning carriage.
“To Tane Academy.”
“Yes! To Tane Academy!”
Inside the carriage, on the way back, I sat deep in thought.
What Austin had taught me were some pretty rough methods. Far too extreme to be something passed down by the head of an old noble magic house.
It wasn’t just the magic parry. There were techniques like accelerating blood flow with magic to maximize reflexes…
All of them were dangerous in real combat. These were techniques that depended entirely on personal instinct and sense.
Surprisingly, most of these were completely new to me. They weren’t techniques supported in the game at all.
I guess it makes sense… how he came to learn them.
The fall of the Bliss family began with Austin’s father’s generation.
He must have encountered plenty of scammers aiming to exploit the family’s remaining assets during his youth. That would explain why Austin learned such techniques.
Most of those scammers were probably half-baked mages.
A fallen prestigious mage family… it’s a name that would make the mouths of shabby mages water.
He must have had to show the dignity of a house head in the face of those types again and again.
It worked out well for me.
I had already decided to learn the sword. The only issue was finding the right teacher, given my unique constitution.
Camilla, Aaron, Awen… the three people who came to mind all had mana cores. It would’ve been difficult for them to train me properly.
But Austin, who shares the same condition as me, was different. There’s nothing in the way of passing down his techniques.
I’ll have to practice what I’ve learned when I get back.
All in all, it was a productive trip.
I was able to resolve the long-held tensions between Camilla and the family, and I improved my personal skillset.
On top of that, I learned a bit about Sasha’s family name, Koskov.
“……”
Outside the main storyline… The more I think about it, the more my head hurts…
That’s when it happened.
Camilla who was riding in the carriage with me called out.
“Adel.”
“Hmm?”
“Is your body alright?”
“Yeah. No reason it wouldn’t be.”
“…I saw it. At dawn. You and the Count… Father… sparring.”
“Oh, did you?”
Before I realized it, she had returned to her usual stiff tone. Did that softer way of speaking only come out when her emotions were heightened?
“It’s the weekend, and you didn’t get any sleep at all. You must be tired.”
“Mm… maybe because I’m young? I feel fine.”
“R-Really…?”
Something about her reaction was off. I glanced sideways at her. She looked flustered, unsure of what to do.
“Still, it’s going to be a long ride. You should try to get some rest.”
“Yeah… you’re probably right.”
“…I saw you sleeping on the way here. You looked uncomfortable. I… I just hope you sleep better this time.”
“Ah. Sorry, did it bother you? I’ll move to the other seat this time.”
From Camilla’s perspective, it probably was uncomfortable. She’d let me rest on her shoulder the whole way.
Now, my body size had returned to normal, but until just before we departed, I’d been in my larger form. It must’ve been heavy, even if she didn’t say anything.
“Th-That’s why…”
“?”
It was when I moved to the opposite seat.
I saw something strange. A curious sight I hadn’t noticed until I was facing her head-on.
For some reason, she had a handkerchief spread over her lap.
“…Ah.”
I realized it.
And… it seemed she realized I realized it.
She began looking everywhere but at me, muttering under her breath.
“I-I heard that normal siblings are closer than we are. That family is where you can show a bit more… relaxed behavior.”
“…Who told you that?”
“…M-Mother did.”
“Well… she’s not wrong. Yes. Very true words.”
“R-Right? So it’s not weird! Yes!”
Suddenly, my head was spinning. Caught off guard by the unexpected emotional ambush, I agreed without thinking, and that seemed to give Camilla a boost of confidence.
She lightly patted her knee.
“Adel. It’s a long journey. You should lie down here and rest comfortably.”
“……”
I had to respond as quickly as possible. I needed to craft a gentle rejection. I had to let her know that normal siblings don’t do things like this.
Now was the time to use the brain of Adel, whose intelligence stat was a rare 17 in a world where the average was 10.
“……”
…But if I did that, wouldn’t it hurt Camilla’s pride as the older sister?
No…more than that, wouldn’t it be sad to have her brave offer rejected like that?
“…If I do that, your legs will fall asleep.”
“It’s fine.”
“It takes five whole hours to get to Tane! The blood flow will stop, and your legs will go numb! They’ll die! I can’t be the one to ruin your future!!”
“Then I’ll just circulate a little mana core. Problem solved.”
“Why go that far!?”
At that, Camilla replied, a little deflated.
“…You don’t want to?”
And the next thing I knew—
I was lying on her lap.
“……”
I wasn’t sure this was the right decision… but when I saw the satisfied look on her face, I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore.
“Is the height okay?”
“Yeah… it’s perfect.”
“Mhmm. It’s a comfortable weight for me, too.”
Camilla still lacks a general sense of common understanding. This sort of thing happens because of that.
Fortunately, though, there’s someone around her who can teach her such things. Awen Damir who was unmatched in sociability was by her side.
It probably won’t be long before Camilla transforms into a grumpy older sister.
Before long, she’ll likely consider things like this part of her embarrassing past.
“If you don’t close your eyes, you can’t fall asleep, Adel.”
“A mage can.”
“…Is that true?”
“I lied.”
“…I didn’t believe you anyway.”
Without another word, I closed my eyes. Then, I felt her fingers gently brushing through my bangs.
“Little brother.”
“Hmm?”
“There’s something I’ve decided. Will you hear me out?”
“Oh? A decision, huh.”
Camilla’s hair tickled my face. When I glanced over to see what she was doing, she was keeping an eye on the coachman’s seat.
Then, in a whisper low enough not to be heard—
“I’ve decided to take back the staff Father sold. I’ll work harder.”
“Yeah?”
“…The same goes for the lord’s castle. I want to earn merit, shorten the period of confiscation, and reclaim the Bliss territory.”
“What a dutiful daughter.”
“…Will you help me, Adel?”
Of course. That was the plan from the start.
“Of course. I absolutely have to check out that secret library.”
“…Become the lord, Adel. I’ll serve you as the family’s knight.”
“No thanks.”
I couldn’t take on such a bothersome role just to reclaim a territory where I could’ve lived a lazy, carefree life. My goal is to avoid the main storyline, quietly grow stronger behind the scenes, and enjoy the sweet rewards.
“…Huh?”
“You be the Countess, Sister. I’m out.”
“…I may be your older sister, but I’m not the rightful heir of the Bliss family…”
“Don’t care. You do it!! I don’t know how to handle that complicated stuff!”
“…….”
A peaceful road.
A brief moment warmed by the spring sunlight filtering through the carriage windows.
I heard Camilla let out a small chuckle.
And then—
Knock knock!
A slightly stiff voice came from outside.
– Inspection. Are the two of you inside members of the House of Bliss?
I sat up and fixed my hair. A chill crept over me.
“What’s going on?”
– Apologies for the rudeness. We’ve been ordered to inspect the napes of everyone passing through the checkpoint.
“……”
The nape of the neck?
***
“Thank you for your cooperation. Glory to the Empire!”
The inspection ended quickly. After all, they had only checked the backs of Camilla’s and my necks by sight, and that was it.
But my mood remained heavy.
Besides, there was still some time left before the carriage would reach the capital.
The fact that inspections were being conducted this far out could only mean one thing:
The inspection perimeter has expanded.
And that, in turn, implied a certain fact:
The ‘Demon of Justice’ incident still hasn’t been resolved.
It was strange.
Wasn’t the second major scenario supposed to begin soon?
What on earth is the Headmaster doing?
At this point, I was starting to feel a creeping sense of unease.
It was practically the same as having an unknown serial killer roaming the streets.
To make matters worse, tonight was a full moon. I had been planning to visit the black market and stock up on a few ingredients, but that might not be possible now.
“…Is something bothering you, Adel?”
Just then, Camilla asked. Her tone was filled with concern.
What should I do?
I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head.
If my unease turned out to be justified, the last thing I wanted was for her to get involved.
If she did, it would truly block the path she was trying to forge for herself.
“It’s nothing. Probably just me overthinking.”
Still… you never know.
Quietly, I took her hand and opened her palm, then began writing letters onto it one at a time.
“…What are you…!”
“Shhh.”
***
A wishing stone.
A stone said to grant wishes if you hold it while making a wish and its color or shape changes.
Just a common superstition.
Usually, it’s just painted with luminescent material. If it’s a more expensive kind, it might be a gemstone called alexandrite, which actually changes color. Or it might have some minor magical engraving.
In other words, wishing stones don’t actually grant wishes.
But everyone has a moment in life when they want to believe in that kind of nonsense.
Sasha was sitting at the librarian’s desk.
“……”
The Tane Library stayed open even on weekends. Not because of any official academy policy.
Simply because Sasha Koskov, the library’s appointed student librarian, kept it open whenever she was on campus. Normally, no one came anyway.
But that day, unexpectedly, there were visitors. Students flipping through old books in preparation for the upcoming Cross-Department Exchange.
– Isn’t that Koskov?
– Whoa. It really is. She’s the librarian?
– What is she even thinking, still hanging around school?
However, whenever people gathered in the same space as her, whispers would follow.
By now, it wasn’t even strange. It had been that way since she was a child.
So she was used to it. She had grown numb to hearing people talk behind her back.
She had long since given up expecting anyone to think well of her.
But that sense of familiarity only applied to insults directed at herself.
– She’s dating Adel Bliss, apparently.
– No way. Really?
– Yeah. But Adel’s an idiot too. Worked so hard to get first place, only to hang around with Koskov.
– Pfft. No wonder Bliss is ruined.
– Wasn’t he being bullied in Class B?
– I thought he was doing better, but if he’s hanging out with Koskov, that’s seriously messed up—
“……”
Sasha had been alone ever since that incident. Her mother had cut ties with the Koskov name long ago and even changed their surname.
From ten years ago until now, not once had she made a close friend.
So it felt unfamiliar. Adel Bliss was the one being insulted, yet the outrage she felt was far stronger than at any insult aimed at herself.
Overwhelmed by the emotion surging through her, Sasha stood up abruptly and walked toward the whispering students.
“…Apologize.”
“…Wh-What?”
“Jeez, that scared me.”
“Your comment just now. Take back what you said about Adel Bliss and apologize.”
“…What? Are you serious? Apologize for what?”
“Yeah, it’s not like we made anything up.”
It happened in that instant.
Smack—!!
Without hesitation, Sasha slapped one of them and glared.
“I said, apologize.”
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