Aila’s Guidance

Typically, when a high-ranking noble like Aila arrived, all the attending aristocrats would raise their wine glasses in a gesture of respect.

Should someone of even greater stature, such as the Emperor himself, grace the event, all guests would be expected to rise and bow in welcome.

Regrettably, Aila had arrived too early.

As the very first noble to appear, there was no one present to offer her such a salutation.

Fortunately, Aila seemed unconcerned by this; upon entering the grand hall, she waved away Mitchell, who had been trailing behind her, and approached Fú Nī Yà.

Fú Nī Yà attempted to withdraw, but Aila placed a hand on her shoulder, preventing her departure.

“Is there something you need, Princess Aila…?”

Fú Nī Yà asked with a sigh of resignation, but Aila, hearing this, puffed out her cheeks in greater displeasure.

“Call me Big Sister Aila.”

“Princess Aila—”

“Hmm?”

“…Big Sister Aila…”

Fú Nī Yà relented with another sigh, acceding to Aila’s wishes.

“Mm-hmm~” Aila smiled contentedly, then, repeating her familiar refrain, looked earnestly at Fú Nī Yà and inquired, “So, can you tell Big Sister exactly what happened between you and little Albert?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Eh~” In an instant, Aila’s eyes brimmed with tears. “You can’t even tell your Big Sister?”

“…”

Witnessing this, Fú Nī Yà let out a helpless sigh.

She had witnessed this tactic the very first time they met; whenever she refused a request, Aila would launch this tearful offensive.

It was precisely this method that had earned Aila the right to casually pat her head.

In the past, because she attended Master Valentin’s lessons daily and spent little time at the estate, Aila hadn’t had the opportunity to unleash such an attack.

This time, however, she was stuck here, working, with no escape.

Gazing at Aila’s pitiable expression, Fú Nī Yà found herself intensely regretting that her soul was male, causing her to soften whenever she saw a girl cry.

Ultimately, Fú Nī Yà sighed softly once more, speaking vaguely.

“All I can say is that Albert and I had a falling out due to differences in personality.

For the rest, you’ll have to ask Albert yourself.”

“Eh? Oh, right! I can just ask little Albert!”

Aila suddenly wore a look of profound realization.

‘…?’

‘Ah, this… no?’

‘Had you truly not considered doing that before?’

Fú Nī Yà wore an expression that conveyed utter speechlessness.

Aila, however, paid no mind to this, instead turning with eager enthusiasm to seek out Albert and question him.

Watching Aila’s retreating figure, Fú Nī Yà suddenly felt a profound weariness settle in her heart.

****

Just then, a young noble approached.

“My lady, might I trouble you to fetch some refreshments?”

“Eh? Yes.”

Hearing this, Fú Nī Yà quickly nodded, retrieved a bottle of wine from a nearby cabinet, and handed it to the noble.

Looking up, she noticed that while she and Aila had been conversing, several lower-ranking nobles had steadily arrived.

With their arrival, the grand hall, though the banquet had yet to officially begin, was already becoming somewhat crowded.

Elaborately dressed ladies carefully navigated the hall, lifting their long gowns as they greeted others and artfully avoided colliding with the servants bustling about with large silver platters.

Gracious gentlemen gathered in small groups, savoring wine and engaging in lighthearted conversation about everything under the sun.

The noble who had asked Fú Nī Yà for wine now chatted with his companion.

“Oh, Jonan, you look exceptionally sharp today.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Mars,” his companion replied. “This outfit is far more flamboyant than what you wore at the last banquet.

Where in Saint Mir City did you have it custom-made?”

“That new shop that just opened on the east side of the city,” the young noble named Mars answered. “But don’t let this attire fool you; it looks decent enough, yet it’s agonizingly uncomfortable to wear.

I simply don’t understand why clothes need so many embellishments.

Wouldn’t comfort suffice?”

“I wouldn’t know,” his companion Jonan shrugged. “Who can fathom the minds of these artists?

They design such impractical monstrosities and then have the gall to call it ‘artistic trend.’”

“To hell with art, I say,” Mars grumbled with strong dissatisfaction. “If you ask me, eighty percent of all fashion and trends are merely hyped up by those second-rate artists.

They deliberately concoct bizarre designs, then dismiss anyone who doesn’t conform as common philistines.

Yet, we take their words as gospel, even funding art academies to create these grotesque designs with our money.

It’s utterly ridiculous.”

“You’re absolutely right, Mars!”

Those around Mars loudly echoed his sentiments, affirming the truth of his words.

Encouraged, Mars continued to expound upon his lofty opinions.

“Therefore, we have no need to subsidize these artists with our money.

True artists should earn their living through their craft; those useless individuals should all be unemployed and begging in Saint Mir City.

As for the remaining funds, we should funnel them entirely into the army…”

“Oh, Mars, the Empire, under His Majesty’s guidance, just signed a truce with those wretched lizardmen to the southeast a few years ago.

No one is eager to trek through those bothersome rainforests and hills again,” a noble interjected impatiently.

“That’s because you are all cowards!”

“Coward?” The noble pointed indignantly at a scar on his face. “As far as I recall, while I was slogging through the rainforests, you, my friend, seemed to be enjoying life daily, tucked away safely within Saint Mir City, weren’t you?”

“I was in Saint Mir City because I am a Paladin,” Mars declared loudly. “My ancestors were Paladins, my father is a Paladin, and I, too, will be a Paladin.

Our battlefields lie in Zealand, in Rosen, not foolishly slogging through rainforests like you!”

“Paladin!”

The other nobles around him cheered.

The Paladins originated from the Emperor’s direct subordinate, the Supreme Paladin Order of Lohiris.

This order, comprising a thousand individuals, all of whom possessed strength above the sixth tier, served as the Emperor’s sharpest spear.

To become a Paladin was regarded as one of the highest honors for nobles.

However, with the absence of war in recent years, even this sharpest of spears had inevitably gathered a touch of rust.

To what extent it had rusted, however, remained unknown.

Seeing these glory-obsessed individuals, who had never seen a battlefield, cheering for Mars, the noble snorted in exasperation.

“You’ll know soon enough, once you actually step onto a battlefield.”

****

Meanwhile, Albert was explaining the events of the previous week to Aila.

Naturally, he omitted the detail about Fú Nī Yà discovering his status as a reincarnator.

He merely recounted the matters concerning the barbarians.

“In summary, that’s what happened…”

Having finished, Albert looked at Aila, eager to hear her perspective.

After all, Aila was, in essence, the origin of the entire affair; Fú Nī Yà and Albert’s disagreement had stemmed from her.

Without Aila, Fú Nī Yà likely would have remained entirely ignorant of the barbarian situation.

“I must say, little Albert, you truly are a fool,” Aila said, frowning and speaking with a tone of exasperated disappointment. “It’s a pity little Fú Nī Yà didn’t strike you dead on the spot; merely ignoring you was too lenient.”

“How so?”

Albert scratched his head, completely bewildered.

“Let me ask you first, what race is little Fú Nī Yà?”

“A half-elf.”

“So you *do* know she’s a half-elf!?” Aila sighed. “Half-elves are already looked down upon in human society, and little Fú Nī Yà, being a girl, possesses a delicate heart.

After learning about the barbarians, she undoubtedly empathized with their plight.

And then, at that very moment, you uttered those words…”

What had Albert said?

‘They’re just barbarians; if they die, they die…’

‘And he had even entertained the thought of killing Fú Nī Yà.’

Albert froze, then let out a soft, drawn-out sigh.

He finally understood why Fú Nī Yà had lost her temper with him.

Half-elves and barbarians were both hybrid races, born of humans and other species; both were discriminated against by human society, and both had long suffered persecution at human hands.

It would have been truly strange if the girl herself hadn’t connected the plights of half-elves and barbarians.

His derogatory remarks about the barbarians had pierced the young girl’s chest like a sharp sword.

A girl’s heart was always sensitive and delicate.

Seeing Albert’s look of sudden enlightenment, Aila smiled gently.

“Little Albert still doesn’t quite understand a girl’s heart, does he?”

“How could I possibly understand…?”

Albert shrugged helplessly.

Across both his lifetimes, he had never truly interacted intimately with a girl.

Though he had a wife in his previous life, it had merely been a political marriage, devoid of any genuine affection.

As for the complex arena of power, no one harbored such naive sentiments.

In his former life, Albert had indeed commanded barbarians, yet even if he spoke disparagingly of their race, those barbarians would simply smile and say, “Your Majesty is correct.”

Even the barbarians themselves had been indifferent to such remarks, let alone some half-elf meddling in affairs that didn’t concern them, connecting barbarians to half-elves, and then empathizing to champion the barbarians’ cause.

“Furthermore, if you truly wish to reconcile with little Fú Nī Yà, then you, little Albert, must change your way of thinking,” Aila continued. “Your life, from childhood to adulthood, has always been lived from too high a vantage point, preventing you from seeing the subtle nuances.

If you continue like this, even if your relationship mends this time, new conflicts will inevitably arise before long.”

“Too high a vantage point?” Albert frowned.

“Perhaps occasionally, you should concern yourself with the lives of common people,” Aila said, her brows lowered. “I think little Fú Nī Yà makes a great deal of sense.

Barbarians feel sadness, joy, and anger, just like us.

They are, in essence, no different from humans.”

“Big Sister, you…”

“Having lived in the North for so long, Big Sister has experienced far more than you, little Albert,” Aila said, then let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Little Fú Nī Yà’s perspective isn’t wrong.

Perhaps I truly am an executioner…”

“But if we don’t plunder—”

“Why don’t you listen to little Fú Nī Yà’s thoughts?”

“Her ideas stem from the nobility’s perspective, not that of the actual barbarians…”

Albert fell silent, and Aila, too, remained quiet.

After a long silence, Aila finally spoke.

“Go and have a proper talk with little Fú Nī Yà again.

I believe she has her own distinct thoughts, or she wouldn’t have expressed herself in such a way.

After an open and honest discussion, whether the conflict fully erupts or you reconcile, it will be better than this current impasse, won’t it?”

“Big Sister…”

“Seeing you and little Fú Nī Yà in such a state truly saddens Big Sister,” Aila said, placing her hands over her chest. “I can sense that little Fú Nī Yà is merely putting on a brave face; she doesn’t harbor any ill will towards you.”

“Is that so?”

“You should trust Big Sister’s feminine intuition.”

Aila said with a smile.

Albert couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I understand.

I will seek out Fú Nī Yà and have a thorough discussion with her.”

“That’s good then.” With that, Aila took Albert’s hand. “Come on, it’s almost time; the banquet is about to begin.”