Chapter 14: The Hard Way(1)

[You have completed the quest.]

[The talent growth rate of Shione Shianella increases.]

[Your bond with Shione Shianella has strengthened.]

[Through your resonance with her, a small portion of your original power is unlocked.]

With Shione Shianella’s smile, the long-standing quest of resurrection has been cleared.

Hearing that the speed of Shione’s talent growth has increased, I couldn’t help but smile as well. After all, this place is a world destined for destruction.

Given that the fate of the world rests on Shione Shianella’s development, it was impossible not to be more concerned.

Moreover, due to the strengthened bond with her, the return of part of my power was quite impressive.

‘The amount of mana has significantly increased.’

I still couldn’t feel the power of spirits other than the wind, but the total amount of mana had grown considerably. With this much, using spirit magic two or three times wouldn’t lead to mana exhaustion like before. Furthermore, it would also be much easier to enhance my physical abilities.

For now, that was the reward for the quest.

I asked about my master’s recent actions.

“Why did you cut your hair?”

“I wanted to cut away my gloomy past along with my hair. I do feel a bit regretful about having long hair… but it will grow back eventually. What do you think? Isn’t it a pretty good idea?”

“…It’s hard to find something better than what satisfies oneself. It’s a good decision.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

With a thud, Shione approached the nearby table and set down the blade she used to cut her hair.

She fidgeted with her newly shortened hair.

It seemed she wasn’t quite used to it yet, despite the cut.

“I have something to ask…”

“What do you want to ask?”

“Your name. I want to know your name.”

“…You mean my name?”

Shione nodded slightly.

I couldn’t believe that she had never known my name until now…

I thought she hadn’t called me by name out of embarrassment, but it turned out she didn’t know my name at all.

After living together for several months, it was quite remarkable that she was only asking for my name now.

“…You’ve always been next to me without needing to call my name.”

“My name is Ray. I obviously don’t have a surname.”

This was my name in this world, Ray.

Originally, I was called by a product number, but it was decided by a drawing among the guards just before being sold to the nobility.

“Rayla…”

Shione murmured my name several times, pondering it.

“It’s not a bad name.”

“Thank you.”

“Then, Ray. Please wait here for a moment. I have somewhere to go.”

• Shione has somewhere to go?

Suddenly, she mentioned going somewhere other than the shooting range or the garden?

“Where are you going?”

“I’m planning to talk to my mother for a bit. I’ll head to her office.”

“Understood.”

“While I’m away, please do some simple cleaning in the room.”

After Shione left with those words, I quietly cleaned up the hair that was strewn on the floor.

She really cut a lot.

Knock, knock.

I knocked on the door to the office.

“…It’s Shione Shianella, Mother. I’ve come to talk.”

“Shione? Come in.”

Carefully, I opened the door and entered the office.

Ainel Shianella was, as usual, sitting at her desk, dealing with a stack of paperwork.

She had mentioned that the slums and the merchants within the territory had been problematic recently.

It seemed she was processing documents related to those issues.

After signing off on one of the papers, Ainel finally turned to look at her daughter, Shione.

Her deep-set, blue eyes captured Shione’s appearance.

“You cut your hair.”

“…Yes.”

“You’ve finally started to look somewhat human. Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?”

I was accustomed to shrinking back in front of my mother, unable to express what I wanted to say.

I was still a bit tense and trembling now, but at least this time…

“…It’s about my personal servant. I want to promote him from a mere servant to my personal attendant.”

“I know he has been more than just a simple servant, loyally supporting you.”

“However…”

“But the fact that he was born of lowly status is also true. No matter how much you’ve lived a life outside of that, the fact remains that you are a noble of the Count’s family, doesn’t it?”

Ainel Shianella’s frosty gaze pierced through Shione.

Shione bit her lower lip slightly.

“Even if I like him, I don’t think it’s right to appoint a slave as a personal attendant.”

“…I understand that. But who else but him can be my attendant given my reputation?”

“Oh?”

“Is it better for me to have those who smile in front of me while speaking ill of me behind my back as my attendants? Or should I have those who only flatter me without ever offering honest advice?”

Taking a deep breath, Shione continued her speech.

“Rather than let deceptive people serve as my personal attendants, I want to appoint Ray, who is of lowly birth but understands me and offers me sincere counsel, as my personal attendant.”

“Attendants should support the nobility and guide them along the right path. That’s why it’s common to use intelligent lower nobility as attendants. Can someone who has never been educated like him truly handle what I’m saying?”

“…Please understand that, thanks to him, I’ve lost weight and can now shoot arrows at the shooting range.”

Shione added that at least he didn’t hesitate to guide her onto the right path.

Seeing Shione like this made Ainel’s lips curve up with interest.

“I never expected you, who could hardly say a word in front of me, to go this far. It seems you really like him.”

“…Yes.”

“Appointing him as your personal attendant is entirely your decision. You will be responsible for placing a lowly slave in such an important position.”

“That means…!”

“It means I grant your wish.”

“Thank you!”

Shione’s expression brightened dramatically.

But Shione’s request didn’t end there.

“I have one more request.”

“What is it?”

“I want Ray’s slave certificate.”

“Why, do you want to burn it and turn him into a commoner?”

Shione shook her head nonchalantly, as if she had never thought about burning the certificate from the beginning.

“The certificate states that your owner is my mother, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“He is the first person I can call my own. I know my mother wouldn’t do such a thing, but…”

Shione looked straight into Ainel’s eyes.

“However, I don’t want to leave any room for someone to take him away from me.”

Ainel started laughing as if she found Shione’s words amusing.

Once she calmed down, Ainel opened her mouth with a lighter atmosphere than before.

“Is that all you want?”

“Yes.”

“So, the fact that you came to my office for the first time in years just to say that is all you have to say?”

“…Yes.”

Ainel chuckled, resting her chin on her hand, and Shione’s cheeks flushed slightly.

It was amusing to see my daughter change so much over just one servant.

And I was intrigued by the male slave who had caused this transformation in Shione.

He was just a man who had awakened his mana.

“All your wishes will be granted. I will modify the contents of the slave certificate and send it separately.”

“…Thank you.”

“However, of course, there is a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Yes, although I had been postponing it, it’s now something I can no longer delay. I had intended to call you separately, but you came at just the right time.”

Ainel opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a letter.

From the ornate design on the envelope, it was clear that this was no ordinary letter.

Ainel handed the letter to Shione.

“This is a letter addressed to you.”

“What is this…?”

“To be precise, it’s a letter from your fiancé.”

Ainel observed Shione’s surprised expression with interest.

Seeing such a reaction, it seemed she had completely forgotten about her fiancé until now.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted like that.

“Although it’s a political marriage, wouldn’t it be a good idea to discuss how each of you feels about this engagement before the ceremony?”

“Could it be that…?”

“Shione Shianella, you are to go visit the Marquis of Feoysha.”

“…Really?”

“Then, would the seal of the Marquis of Feoysha stamped here be a lie?”

Ainel began dealing with the stacked documents again.

“I’ll assign Diorlia as your escort, so prepare to leave in three days.”

After finishing the cleaning in Shione’s room, I wondered how much time had passed.

After a long wait, the door opened, and Shione returned.

I stood up from my chair and greeted her immediately.

“Welcome back.”

“…Yeah.”

Shione’s expression did not look good.

Her voice sounded weak, indicating that her time in the office had been quite stressful.

She trudged toward the bed, flopped down, and stared at the ceiling like a person lost in thought.

As I watched her with curiosity, Shione let out a small laugh.

“From now on, I’ll have to live a carriage life outside the territory, so keep that in mind.”

“Is that sudden?”

“…I have to go see my fiancé at the Marquis of Feoysha.”

“……?”

Wait, this brat had a fiancé?

The incomprehensible statement left me feeling dazed.