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Join the Server‘A world quieter than death…’
She couldn’t grasp it, no matter how she tried. Was this truly a veiled reference to something profound?
It seemed impossible for such a “world” to genuinely exist, didn’t it? Well, perhaps it did, but regardless, it appeared to bear no relevance to Leya’s current situation.
Moreover, there was something far more pressing.
“Master, you’ve been granted the title of Duke!”
Leya gasped, her hand lightly covering her mouth, feigning utter astonishment with considerable effort.
“Ah… it’s merely a political maneuver by the powerful. If I had my way, I wouldn’t wish for such a title at all…”
“A political maneuver?”
“Indeed. The reason they chose me, your master, was likely because I have no heirs, ha ha ha…”
‘No… no heirs… right!’
Upon reflection, Leya realized Edwin rarely spoke of his family affairs. It certainly made sense.
“This way, after I, your master, pass away not long from now, they can naturally and legitimately reclaim this so-called ‘Duke’ title…”
His tone grew heavy, his words laced with a profound sigh of helplessness.
“And before that, they can use me to suppress the various nobles within the province of Volantis. Since I’m not of traditional noble birth, they needn’t fear me uniting with other aristocrats to seize power in the eastern provinces. Ah…”
Edwin felt there was nothing more to say; speaking further would only bring tears. From the very beginning, there had been no honor, fairness, or justice in it.
It was simply a winding, treacherous path, full of schemes and traps.
****
Afterward, with little left to discuss, Edwin first inquired about the Netherworld Forest. Leya offered a few perfunctory replies, but the suffocating atmosphere soon became unbearable.
She quickly made an excuse about a friend waiting outside for a tour. Before Edwin could react, she seized the opportunity to escape.
Edwin was left alone in the room, staring blankly, contemplating life in solitude.
****
“Ah, Lady Leya!”
As expected, the moment Leya stepped out, she was met by Elina, who had been waiting anxiously at the door.
Unaware of the situation inside, and having just seen Harvey stride out with such arrogance, Elina couldn’t help but ask with concern:
“How was it, Lady Leya? Did the conversation go smoothly? And that man… he didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
Leya was momentarily speechless. How was she even supposed to answer Elina’s question?
‘What do you mean, *smoothly*? Ha! With this goddess personally handling an ignorant mortal, it was an effortless task!’
‘Did he do anything to me… Sigh, it seems Elina utterly misunderstands the situation.’
“Um, Lady Leya?”
“Ah? Well… it went very smoothly. Oh no… it went *exceptionally* smoothly!”
Leya truly didn’t want to waste time on such matters. If she remembered correctly, she still needed to visit the Adventurer’s Guild this morning to collect her identification.
Having made up her mind, Leya stepped forward. As if forgetting something important, she boldly took Elina’s hand, disregarding all decorum.
As they walked briskly towards the magic practice room, Leya spoke:
“Let’s not talk about those things for now, alright? It’s rare for you to visit, Elina, so how can we not have some fun? Well… though there doesn’t seem to be much to do here…”
“Mm… No… it’s fine!”
‘As long as I’m by Lady Leya’s side…’
Elina’s face flushed slightly as she lowered her head, her eyes, however, couldn’t help but steal glances at Leya’s hand clasping her own arm.
In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, barely audible even to herself, Elina murmured, “It’s the first time… being held by someone other than my brother…”
“But… it truly feels warm…”
****
They walked in silence all the way to the magic training room. Thanks to Harvey’s prior arrangements, it was empty today, a rare occurrence. This spurred Leya’s desire to immediately begin practicing her second major spell.
But before that…
She looked back.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Elina was clutching her chest, panting heavily. To be honest, Leya was quite surprised.
While her own pace had been swift, it surely wasn’t enough to cause *this* level of exhaustion, was it? Frankly, walking a few steps shouldn’t elicit such an exaggerated reaction!
“Ah, I… I’m so sorry, Lady Leya… It’s… it’s because my body is still recovering… I occasionally experience these intermittent bouts of fatigue triggered by emotions…”
‘Emotions… triggered by emotions?’
‘Uh… right…’
Leya, having been human for over twenty years, frankly didn’t understand what emotions walking could possibly evoke in a person. She felt her past self must have been a fake human.
“Then… if that’s the case, would you like to rest on a chair in the corner of the practice room? Or you can amuse yourself with something. I’ll come find you in about two hours.”
“No need!”
Elina refused without hesitation, her tone resolute. Leya blinked. Why had she suddenly recovered her composure?
“I… I’ll just stay here…”
Wordlessly, Leya simply nodded, finally releasing Elina’s arm. She walked toward the center of the training ground.
Completely unnoticed was the faint sigh that emanated from the person behind her.
****
“Ah… wait… did I just hold her hand?”
In the center of the arena, with everything prepared to unleash her second major spell, Leya suddenly remembered something important. She scratched her head, looking adorably confused.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“I’m asking you… why aren’t you speaking?”
“Oh… is that so? I thought with your host’s memory, you might have forgotten who you were talking to…”
“Uh… isn’t that just senile dementia?! And I’m still so young, just a child! Ahhh!”
“…”
No response again? Fine. Leya understood now how foolish it was to seek help from an unreliable system.
And for something like this…
‘We’re both girls… it should… be fine, right?’
After a moment’s thought, Leya recalled Erica, who could sleep soundly beside her without a blush or a racing heart. So, a mere handhold should be even less significant, right?
‘Ugh… but then again…’
‘To consider such a thing perfectly normal is truly enough already! Ahhhhh!—’
……………………
Calm down…
After a moment of calm, she took a deep breath.
Leya then recited with a serious expression:
“Great God of Ice and Snow… Ugh, what kind of nonsense is this? What ghoul or demon could be greater than me? Tch… forget it, I’ll just cut out the beginning and end and keep the middle…”
“All pure snowflakes, all shimmering frost in this world, gather by my side! Lend me your mighty power, condense into the purest divine sword of this age! Destroy all that dares to stand against me…”
“Ice and Snow Divine Sword Array!—”